The More Things Change: The 95th Annual Hunger Games
by Bowserboy129
Summary: Things have changed in Panem and while some good things have come from those now in power, one thing has remains constant. With The Hunger Games still looming over the Districts, 24 more children will be thrown into whatever new hell the Gamemakers have designed. And one thing is for sure, it will not be pretty. (SYOT FULL)
1. Chapter 1: Changes

A lot can change in 20 years. In fact one could argue that everything would change in 20 years. People, places, and the culture around you are all drastically changed by the simple passage of time. Be it because the ignorant get educated, an event so horrific it shakes a nation, or because a control hungry dictator dies in his sleep, time will always change things.

These were the thoughts running through young Gamemaker, young 23 year old Trobin Volca, thought as he watched his fellow Gamemakers discuss what possible twists to incorporate into this next year's games. From silly ones like randomly marrying off tributes to each other before the bloodbath and having the last couple standing both be named victors, to more clever yet impractical ones like having the arena shrink every time a tribute dies, each Gamemaker had their own idea and vision they wanted to bring to life. At least, the Senior Gamemakers did anyway. The newer and less experienced ones, such as Torbin, were stuck with the grunt work. A few tried to bring their ideas to the forefront, only for them to be waved off fairly easily. Even with this issue in front of him though, he couldn't help but to laugh. Just 20 years ago even throwing a minor twist into a Non-Quell game was seen as madness, especially under Snow's watch. However that all changed once Seneca Crane made one tiny rule change in order to spice up.

Allowing two tributes from the same District to win together was a risky move. Even riskier with Snow in charge. By all rights the man was putting not only his own life on the line, but that of his family as well. But in a stroke of either genius or madness, Seneca Crane did it regardless. Almost as if an act of defiance against Snow's strict and ridged rule. That said he wasn't completely foolish, he was planning on pulling the rug out from under the winners if two managed to claim victory together. However once the final battle was over and both of the star crossed lovers from 12 were bleeding out and unable to fight Crane made the risky move to keep his end of the bargain. Thankfully for both him and Panem however, Snow wouldn't live long enough to punish the man. Many claim he was poisoned the night before, or assassinated by some other means, but the fact remains that he would not live to crown either Katness or Peeta as Victor. Instead the honor would go to his Vice President, Gregor Valmont, whom has been in charge for the past 20 years.

Gregor, originally starting off as the eternal yes man to almost every politician in the Capitol, soon finally found himself within a position of authority. At first everyone assumed it would be easy to take advantage of the man, however he soon proved to be a stronger force than originally anticipated. Especially when instead of punishing Crane for his foolishness, he praised the man for his brilliant twist and simply stated he looked forward to his work next year. He would go even further by helping to improve the conditions of all 12 Districts and making them far more livable than they were before hand. Not great mind you, but passable at least.

But his greatest contribution, at least in Torbin's eyes, was how much freedom he granted the Gamemakers. Citing the 74th Games as his favorite of the bunch due to the twist alone, he quickly gave Crane free reign to do whatever the hell he pleased. With his imagination unleashed Crane soon went to work at unleashing twist after exciting twist into every game, each more vibrant and fun than the last. As time went on, Crane also started to take ideas from his team as well, giving his Senior staff the chance to put their own twists into the games. This would end up having an even better, and more personal touch to each game. Some twists naturally stuck more than others, but in the end most of the Capitol managed to find something they liked about each year's Games. From one of the Tributes who's story flourished under the Gamemaker's watchful eye, to an exciting event that shook up the playing field, there was always something to look forward to every year.

So even if he wouldn't be able to push his ideas just yet, Torbin was simply excited to be working under Crane's genius. While the work wasn't exactly easy he knew once the Games started that it would all be worth it to see his hard work pay off. After all, he was doing both himself and his Country proud here. There was no way he was letting this end in anything but a rousing success.

 **WOW it has been a long time since I have written anything. Fan fiction or otherwise haha. Truth be told I've been meaning to get back into writing, but my motivation for doing so has been... Shoddy at best. But you know what! No more of that, I've diving into the deep end here and I'm liking gonna regret it soon but whatever this is kind of something I need to do for myself here.**

 **So here's the deal. This is naturally going to be an SYOT, and I will be putting the form and the rules on my profile and obviously send me your tributes Via PM. However unlike most SYOT stories I will be doing my best to update daily. Yes, daily. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a madman here. Updates will likely be short and only have like 1 POV or event each and typically clock in around 300 to 500 words unless I go insane and do like a million words in one chapter. As such don't expect each chapter to be the length of a day or half a day, but instead like maybe a 12th at best since I'll wanna make sure every tribute gets shown at least once a day. I know this whole format isn't exactly typical of most stories, who like to put a ton of content into each and every chapter. However like I said this is something I need to do for myself here, and I feel like if I force myself to write a chapter every day than I should be able to get over this writing slump I'm in.**

 **Anyway with that out of the way, I'm gonna go ahead and end things off here. I can't wait see what you guys send in, and I hope you guys are as excited for this story as I am! See you all soon, and have a nice day.**


	2. Chapter 2: Fleur

**A/N: So I know starting with the District 7 Reapings isn't exactly normal, however like I said before I'm doing this daily so I'm going to be going in the order I get the tributes in. Hopefully you all enjoy the first real part of my whole "Get off your ass and write shit" project I'm giving a try. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Fleur Kalanit, 16. District 7 Female.**

"Oh my goooooooooooood she's been at it for 20 minutes with those guys. Can't she just quit it already?" Young Helena wined as she watched her friend try and break up an argument between two men.

"What is it even over this time?" Amy asked, having not quite paid attention to the origin of the fight. "Did one have sex with the other's girlfriend? Payment dispute? Bitter break up?"

"I don't know! I'm not losing my brain cells paying attention to this!" Helena retorted.

"Guy on the left lost his ax and claims the guy on the right stole it." Quinn, Amy's Sister, answered plainly.

"Wait seriously?" Helena said as her head swiveled to face Quinn.

"Yeah I don't get it either, but at least it's entertaining." Quinn said before turning back to watch her friend do her thing, giggling at the idiocy of the situation.

"Either way she's gonna make us late, and I'm not getting in trouble for missing the reaping!" Helena boldly claimed, her annoyance growing ever more.

"Well maybe try and get Fleur to give it up and get a move on already." Amy plainly stated as she watched Helena's eyes shoot daggers at her.

"You know she won't do that." Helena said angerly.

"Then stop complaining and just wait like the two of us. We've got time to kill anyway." Amy said, equally with the situation.

Helena looked as though she was about to say something, however in the end she simply sighed in defeat and decided to drop the subject. They always seem to get into this argument every few days or so. The girls are out and about, Fleur sees some stupid argument go down and just _has_ to break it up, and Helena and her cousins are stuck there watching the same stupid situation go down for the millionth time. She had no idea why Fleur always had to play little miss peacemaker, but it got on her nerves. Granted most of them weren't as stupid as somebody misplacing an ax and claiming some other guy stole it, but some were pretty up there. Thankfully after another ten minutes of yelling between the two men, the first one stormed off in defeat. After a quick goodbye from the other one, Fleur finally ran back to her friends.

"Sorry about that you guys." Fleur said, frustration clearly leaving her lips. "Apparently somebody-"

"Misplaced their ax, yeah we get it. Can we go now." Helena hissed as she jumped out of her seat.

"Uh... Sure." Fleur muttered as she watched Helena begin to walk ahead. After a moment however, Fleur shook herself free of her light shock and hurried to catch up to her friend. The two Foster sisters quickly following behind.

"Hey, everything okay with you?" Fleur asked, concerned at Helena's sudden outbursts.

Helena looked at her friend and tried to say something, however instead she couldn't help but to sigh once more.

"Sorry, kind of just on edge today. That's all." Helena said, waving off Fleur's concerns. While it wasn't entirely a lie, both Amy and Quinn could tell Helena was growing more and more annoyed with Fleur's antics by the day. However Fleur on the other hand but to smile.

"Yeah I can understand. Today's not exactly a fun day!" Fleur said in a comforting tone. "But hey, think of it this way! Both of your brothers are already past the reaping age, and between the 4 of us we're only in there like 16 times out of thousands and thousands of slips! Trust me, everything will be fine! There's nothing to worry about!"

Helena could only respond by looking up at her friend and chuckling. God did she hate this bitch, but Fleur kind of made it a little too hard to hate her in general.

"Yeah yeah, I know." She said, once again waving Fleur off. "But still, it's scary is all. I mean, one of us could..."

"It won't happen." Fleur stated plainly.

"But-" Helena tried to get out before Fleur cut her off.

"No buts! I mean it, we'll be fine. Just trust me on this. Okay."

"... Fine." Helena said, once again giving in to defeat.

"Are you two done flirting?" Quinn blurted out suddenly trying to tease her friend and cousin. "Because the town square is the other way..."

"H-Hey!" Fleur said somewhat flustered.

"I-I knew that..." Helena said defensively.

Amy and Quinn couldn't help but to laugh as they turned and lead the way to the reapings. Helena on the other hand looked over at Fleur.

"Revenge after the reapings?" Helena asked

"Over that?" Fleur said, a bit shocked by the suggestion before giving it a moment of thought and asking. "Any ideas?"

Helena couldn't help but to laugh as she said.

"Well, I've got a few."

Around 20 minutes later the girls had finally made it with a little over 10 minutes to spare. The Peacekeepers quickly checked them in and they were ushered inside. Fleur quickly scanned the crowd and spotted her sister off to the side.

"There's Lillian. I'll see you guys later!" Helena said as she waved off her friends as they went off with their family as well.

Quickly Lillian spotted Fleur approaching her and moved over to give her some space.

"About time you got here." Lillian said plainly, annoyance clear in her voice.

"Sorry about that, you know me." Fleur said waving off her tardiness, an awkward laugh soon following. "So, last reaping for you! Bet you're excited aren't you!"

"Not really. No" Lillian stated. "My odds are the highest they've ever been, if I'm not drawn somebody else dies, oh yeah and aside from the lack of death coming my way I gain nothing from surviving this. Sorry, but there isn't really much to be excited for."

"I mean, yeah, but hey! You get to not worry about getting drawn after this! That's awesome, right?" Fleur cheerfully said, trying to get some emotion out of her sister.

"Yes and I get the amazing joy and fearing you, Bakula, or Callum are picked for the next 8 years. Fun stuff"

That shut Fleur up pretty quickly. Following that, the two sisters stood next to each other in awkward silence for a few minutes. A not so uncommon occurrence between the sisters. However, wanting something to distract herself from the incoming fear that the reapings would bring, Fleur spoke up once again.

"So, how did the interview go?"

"Oh, mom and dad didn't tell you?" Lillian said, slightly shocked. "Mr. Fosters pretty much hired me on the spot!"

"Well way to go there slugger!" Fleur said, punching her sister lightly on the shoulder. "18 years old and already in an office position! I'm so proud of you!"

"It was nothing" Lillian stated, slightly embarrassed by the praise. "I mean you're kind of friends with their daughters, and Dad put a good word in for me. I would have been more shocked if I didn't get it."

"Okay but like, you're only 18! You're not even out of High School yet! Come on man that's awesome." Fleur said as she tried to pump up her sister a little.

Lillian couldn't help but to laugh a little, however that was put to an end once their escort's annoying voice blared over the microphone.

"HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOO DISTRICT 7!" Frankie yelled. "Ladies and Gentlemen I hope you're all excited for this one, because I got a feeling this year is gonna be a good one! Before me I see strong, brave, passionate children who are ready and have what it takes to defy the odds and bring home honor to this fine District you call home! Also, joining me on stage, we have our 5 amazing Victors! Including this year's mentors, Ivan Braks and Yovan Clestro! Give these fine folks a round of applause everyone!"

A surge of applause came from the audience, though not exactly by choice. None of the Victors exactly wanted to be on stage anyway, but all 5 of them would be going to the capitol if they liked it or not this year.

"Yeah yeah, take it in while you can you guys. Cause I get the feeling you'll be sharing that spotlight real soon! " Frankie said jokingly to the 5 Victors on stage, earning himself a few pity laughs for his attempt at 'humor'. "Now with that said let's turn it over to our lovey Mayor, Miss Clive Ursa!"

The District mayor quickly rose from her seat and took her spot at the podium to give the same speech she gave every year, about how the Districts messed up or something. Nobody really pays attention to it anyway, they all know it's a load of bull.

"Do you think he's that annoying behind the scenes too?" Fleur whispered to her sister, earning herself a quick chuckle as Lillian whisper. "Probably."

Thankfully the speech ended as quickly as it came. Not so thankfully, Frankie took the stage once more.

"Well with that out of the way folks, lets get right into it! Remember kiddos, the rules are simple. If your name is drawn, just come right on up and take your spot on stage! And don't be too scared." Frankie said as he moved in a little closer to the mic to whisper "I hear they're rigging it so we win this year."

"ANYWAY LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT! As always, ladies first!"

 _Please, don't be Amy._ Fleur thought as fear suddenly raced through her mind.

 _Don't be Quinn_

Why was she scared now? She knew the odds weren't that bad.

 _Don't be Helena_

Things were going to be fine. Just like always.

 _Don't be Lillian_

After all. The odds would be in her favor.

 _And please, PLEASE don't let it be me!_

They... They had to be? Right?

"FLEUR KALANIT, STEP RIGHT UP!"

Fleur's eyes widened as she heard her name called, it took her a moment to realize what was going on. This... This had to be a joke, right? She promised her friend everything would be fine. She promised that nothing bad would happen. The odds of this happening were extremely low, there's no reason for any of this to of happened!

But they did, and she can to suck it up and deal with her reality now.

Fleur looked at her sister for a moment, and saw her trying to raise her hand. Fleur, however, quickly grabbed it half way, preventing an even further tragedy. All she could do was look into her sisters eyes and whisper a soft no to her. Then, she let go and made her way to the stage.

As she made her way up she could see her friends reactions to the right of her. Helena was beyond pissed, looking like she wanted to hurt somebody, Quinn was crying, and Amy was standing there shocked. To her left she could see her parents and little Callum bawling their poor eyes out. Choking back her own tears she climbed the steps to finally see Frankie face to face. Something she had prayed she would never have to do. Frankie quickly offered her his hand to shake, something she did without hesitation.

"Oh man, that's the handshake of a winner I tell ya! But, we don't even know if you really are our tribute yet Missy!" Frankie then turned to the crowd and said "ARE THERE ANY VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE MISS KALANIT'S PLACE!"

Fleur simply looked over where her sister was standing and shook her head no. As if asking, no, pleading with her sister to not throw her life away over her. Lillian was obviously debating whether she should do it or not, but quickly the moment passed as Frankie decided that enough time had passed.

"Well then, everyone give it up for Fleur Kalanit!" Frankie said, with the same fake applause the victors got coming in for Fleur. "Anyway, with that said, let's get right into the men. Shall we?"

As Frankie moved over to the bowl, one thought rushed through Fleur's mind.

 _Not Bakula_

Tiny, innocent little Bakula

 _Not Bakula_

Okay maybe not innocent, but he was still her brother!

 _Not Bakula_

She couldn't bear to face him in those games!

 _Not Bakula_

To lose him

 _Not Bakula_

To have their parents lose two children at once

 _Not Bakula_

Please. If the odds weren't in her favor. Surely they had to be for her brother.

 _Not Bakula_

… Right?

 _Please, not Bakula_

Frankie opened the slip of paper, and suddenly in an almost out of character action his face dropped in horror.

 _No_

He tried to say the name, but his voice shook with regret.

 _Please, no!_

 _"_ Ba-"

 _Please! Please no!_

All Frankie could do was look into Fleur's eyes, as if to say he was sorry, before he yelled out the name.

"Bakula Kalanit!"

 _…_ _No... Please oh god no..._

 **A/N: HOLY CRAP! I did not mean for this to end up nearly this long haha! Admittedly I meant for this to be like half the length it was, but the more I typed the more words just flowed onto the page haha. Seriously I was aiming for 1000 words and ended up with 2k instead. I have zero control. So much for that whole "I'm only going like 500 word a chapter" thing. Though to be fair these are the reapings, so it's to be expected that they'd be longer than most POVs. There's a lot you need to establish in such a short amount of time, and you need a lot to do it justice.**

 **Anyway, thank you Golden Moon Huntress** **for Fleur! She was a lot of fun to write for and I hope I did her justice! I know I didn't focus on her family that much, but they'll be covered in Bakula's chapter. Speaking of which you can also expect her brother, Bakula, next chapter! So don't worry I won't be leaving you on this cliffhanger for long!**

 **With that out of the way, what did you guys think of the chapter and Fleur! Leave your comments on both in your review, and I'll catch you guys tomorrow! See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3: Bakula

**Bakula Kalanit, 12. District 7 Male.**

"Bakula, breakfast is ready!" Viola yelled up to her son, trying in a vain attempt to wake the young boy who was probably still asleep in his room. But with Bakula you could never be too sure, especially given his track record. But still with no answer from the child she yelled out once more.

"Bakula!"

Nothing. No response, no nothing. With a normal child it would just mean that he was still asleep and didn't hear them. However, Bakula was not exactly what one would call a normal child.

Viola's husband, Robert, let out a light sigh and asked. "You want me to get him?"

"Could you please?" Viola responded, somewhat reluctantly. "You're better with him than I am anyway."

Robert nodded, and after picking up his walking cane he began to make his way upstairs. He began to wonder what the little cuss-bucket had in store for him this time. As he climbed the stairs he began to get just a little bit excited. He knew no matter what Bakula threw at him he could handle, the child wasn't really that clever, however it was always fun to see what the kid had planned. However once he reached the top of the stairs and saw his son's door closed he couldn't help but to feel just a little disappointing.

 _Really? He's going this route?_ Robert thought as he made his way to his son's room. The boy never closed his door, so obviously something was going to happen once he opened. As such he made sure he was still standing away from the doorway once he turned the knob and flung the door open.

As if right on que, Bakula let out an... Attempt at a monster's scream? It was really hard to tell. However he stopped once he realized his father wasn't exactly there to be surprised. Robert on the other hand couldn't help but to chuckle as his son poked his head into the hallway to check where his dad was, wearing the same cheap rubber monster mask his parents got him during last year's October Festivals.

"Better luck next time kiddo." Robert said with a smile. "Come on, your mom has breakfast ready."

Bakula couldn't help but to let out a light huff as he took off his mask and tossed it back into his room, not watching where it lands. He really should of figured that plan wouldn't of worked, but he didn't exactly feel like wasting any of his better ideas on his parents. They'd likely kill him if he tried any of his best stuff anyway.

Marching down the stairs like the 'good little boy' that he is, he was quickly greeted by his mother and two of his three siblings. The older, 18 year old Lillian sat silently as she ate her breakfast as Bakula's younger brother, Callum, was busy playing with his scrambled eggs like the ten year old child he is.

"Where's Fleur?" Bakula calmly asked, earning himself a tired sigh from his mother.

"She already went the Foster's house." Viola responded, mildly annoyed. "I'd figure she'd wanna spend time with her family today of all days, but what do I know?"

Robert, on the other hand, just shrugged. "She's 16, she can do what she wants."

"On a normal day, yes. But today..." Viold simply trailed off from there as both Bakula and Lillian looked at each other knowing full well what she meant. Today was the reaping, and either one of them or Fleur could be selected to basically die today. Needless to say it was understandable why their mother was on edge. Robert, noticing this, hastily tried to change the subject.

"So, Lillian, you excited to start your new job soon."

"Oh uh... Yeah." Lillian said, still trying not to let nerves get the better of her. Today was her last reaping after all, and while she would soon be free of that hell her odds of getting drawn were the highest they've ever been. Not to mention now she had little Bakula to worry about as well. The kid annoyed the hell out of her at times, but the idea of him being reaped still didn't sit well with her.

Soon, the family finished their meal and after getting ready began to set out for the Town Square. Nobody aside from hyper little Callum talked much, really. Today wasn't exactly a day to be happy for. No matter what two families were going home without their children, and odds on both would watch as their son and daughter died on national television. Praying that such a thing would simply be another family's burden wasn't fun for anyone to do, but it's still what they did. After all, better somebody else suffers that loss instead of you. Being able to still to hug your child and send them to bed at night is a far better thing than knowing they're likely never coming home.

Eventually they made their way to the town square and after they were checked in everyone went to their designated areas. Callum and their parents going off to the family sections, Lillian to the older kid's groups, and Bakula off to the younger kid's. There he met up with his two best friends in the world, 12 year old Jasmine and 13 year old Vale.

"Hey guys, what up!" Bakula said as he approached his friends.

"Oh nothing, just the ever looming threat of death." Vale blurted out, causing Jasmine to chuckle.

"Haha, good one." Bakula said, laughing a little as well. "But seriously, you guys wanna hang out after this?"

"Oh hell yes!" Jasmine exclaimed, obviously excited. "You wanna execute Operation Burning Bum on Mr. Fraser?"

"Oh I thought you would never ask!" Bakula stated with excitement. "Vale, you got the supplies yet?"

"I have the lighter and bag, yes. My dog will have the last thing within the next few hours." Vale responded plainly. "So the plan should be ready to go by tonight."

"Perfect!" Bakula said, getting almost giddy. "This is gonna be so good."

"I've already got my brother to cover for us with the peacekeepers so we should be fine!" Jasmine whispered to the two as they nodded to her.

This would go on for the next half hour or so as the trio did their best to distract themselves from the obvious fear of today. Even if their odds of getting drawn weren't high, they weren't the only ones they were each worried about. All of them had siblings and other friends at risk today, and the odds of somebody they care about getting reaped were pretty high. But in the end there was nothing they could do but to try and distract themselves from that fear and hope that maybe, just maybe, that nothing would happen and that everything would be fine.

Soon, however, their escort Frankie jumped onto the stage and screamed into the microphone like a wild beast.

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOO DISTRICT 7!" Frankie yelled. "Ladies and Gentlemen I hope you're all excited for this one, because I got a feeling this year is gonna be a good one! Before me I see strong, brave, passionate children who are ready and have what it takes to defy the odds and bring home honor to this fine District you call home! Also, joining me on stage, we have our 5 amazing Victors! Including this year's mentors, Ivan Braks and Yovan Clestro! Give these fine folks a round of applause everyone!"

Bakula and his friends simply clapped with the rest of the crowd as he couldn't help but to roll his eyes at the guy. Frankie had always annoyed the crap out of him. He was so weird and kind of freaky with his greaser hairdo and awful, gaudy orange jacket that he must think looks amazing even though it makes everyone who sees it kind of wanna throw up. But from there the man continued.

"Yeah yeah, take it in while you can you guys. Cause I get the feeling you'll be sharing that spotlight real soon! " Frankie said jokingly to the 5 Victors on stage, earning himself a few pity laughs for his attempt at 'humor'. "Now with that said let's turn it over to our lovey Mayor, Miss Clive Ursa!"

The mayor then went on to give the same speech she would always give every year, and Bakula had to fight off the urge to fall asleep. He always understood why this speech was "Important", the Capitol wanted to rub in their win from almost a hundred years ago in everyone's faces and remind them why they're so great, but the least they could do is make it more exciting. But doing that would take too much work and clearly if it ain't directly making kids kill kids it isn't in the budget! But regardless the speech soon ended and Bakula's incoming panic would surely be enough to keep him awake for the rest of this awful event.

"Well with that out of the way folks, lets get right into it! Remember kiddos, the rules are simple. If your name is drawn, just come right on up and take your spot on stage! And don't be too scared." Frankie said as he moved in a little closer to the mic to whisper "I hear they're rigging it so we win this year."

"ANYWAY LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT! As always, ladies first!"

Bakula's eyes soon found themselves fixated onto Frankie as the man reached into the bowl and pulled out a name. _Please be somebody else_ he thought. _Anybody but Fleur, Lillian, and Jamine. Please, anybody but them!_

However, his prayers would go unanswered as the worst possible thing happened then and there.

"FLEUR KALANIT, STEP RIGHT UP!"

"NO!" Bakula screamed out, his horror thankfully covered up by the general commotion of the crowd. Vale and Jasmine's faces dropped at the name too. After all, their friend's sister was just sent into the Hunger Games. Jasmine was somewhat glad it wasn't her, but in the end they knew that in that instant that things had shifted.

But little did the three know, that it would only get worse from there.

Bakula stood there in shock. He wanted to cry, run to his sister, and save her from doom. But the armed men around them would simply shoot him down as soon as he stepped out of line, a fact he was all too aware of as they followed his sister to the stage.

Soon Fleur took her place on stage and shook the hand of the man who just sentenced her to death.

"Oh man, that's the handshake of a winner I tell ya! But, we don't even know if you really are our tribute yet Missy!" Frankie then turned to the crowd and said "ARE THERE ANY VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE MISS KALANIT'S PLACE!"

Bakula noticed the intense look in Fleur's eyes as she looked into the crowd, shaking her head and mouthing "No". He couldn't tell where she was looking, but if he knew Fleur he knew it would be at Lillian. After all, who else would volunteer but her?

Soon the moment passed and Frankie started up again.

"Well then, everyone give it up for Fleur Kalanit!" Frankie said, drumming up some more applause from the crowd. "Anyway, with that said, let's get right into the men. Shall we?"

Bakula didn't know what to think anymore. His sister was going to die. There was no way she was going to make it out of this alive. No way in hell. Sure she was strong, but those kids from the upper districts have trained for years! They'll rip her to shreds in an instant! There's no way she could win! No way in hell!

But that wasn't the only thing Bakula had to worry about, especially after he noticed the look on Frankie's face. How could anyone miss the normally loud, boisterous, and confident man's face drop in horror as he saw the name. Something was wrong. It had to be. Who's name could possibly even cause that...

 _Oh no..._

"Ba-"

 _No no no!_

"Ba-"

 _Please don't do this now!_

Frankie took a quick moment to compose himself as he looked to Bakula's sister, his face full of regret, and in that moment Bakula knew who's name was on that slip.

"Bakula Kalanit!"

He was dead. There was no way around it. Tiny, defenseless Bakula had no shot at winning the Hunger Games. Not when there were so many bigger and stronger opponents that needed to be taken down. Sure, sponsors may take pity on them and fund them, but that would only really help his sister. Bakula was doomed, and there was nothing he could do about it. But maybe... Maybe he could do something.

The Games were rigged, obviously. Everyone and their mothers knew that. The Gamemakers would do everything in their power to make sure the more interesting and beloved Tributes would make it far. It's no shock that's why more boring Tributes tend to get the ax early on, sometimes literally. As such, Bakula did the one thing he could do in this situation.

He stood up, not bothering to look at the shocked faces of his friends, and began to march out angerly into the sight of everyone. He didn't look at their faces, or scan the crowd for his family. He had one person set straight within his sights. That annoying freaking escort and his awful orange jacket.

Once he reached the stairs, he blew up like no 12 year old should.

"YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled out, taking both his sister and Frankie by shock. "YOU THINK YOU'RE SO COOL WITH YOU'RE SHITTY FUCKING JACKET AND NASTY ASS HAIR, BUT NO! FUCK YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR!"

 _The hell is this kid doing?!_ Frankie thought to himself as the child continued.

"You must be SOOOOOO fucking happy to be doing this! 'Oh yeah I'll just send in this kid and his fucking sister. THAT'LL BE A GREAT IDEA! I bet their deaths will make great TV, fuck yeah let's do it!' WELL NO, FUCK YOU!" Bakula continued. "WE WILL FUCKING GET OUT OF THAT HELL HOLE IF YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! AND WHEN WE DO, WE WILL KICK YOUR GOD DAMN ASS FOR THIS YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

As Frankie looked down at the small child screaming at him, he realized what he was doing. It wasn't obvious to most, but this kid was smart. There's no way any normal person would do something like this when their lives are on the line. Doing so would be throwing your life away. But this kid wasn't senselessly screaming, he was setting himself up for success. He wasn't cursing the Capitol, his word were directed at Frankie alone. The blame was on him and only him. Anybody who would do this wouldn't just hit the escort, but the Capitol for allowing this. All the while proclaiming that both he and his sister would make it out alive of all things! Even with Crane's twist happy mindset, two tributes being able to live wasn't that common of a twist. It only happened 5 times since Katniss and Peeta survived their games, and only twice did they ever succeed. And yet here this kid was, saying the both him and his sister would survive. This wasn't irrational screaming. This kid was setting himself up for success.

Maybe it was senseless of him to do so, but Frankie couldn't help but to feel a bit hopeful. Maybe he didn't mess up by picking siblings. After all, this kid wouldn't be doing this if his sister wasn't reaped too. At first, he thought these two were dead. But now?

Well, maybe, just maybe, these two would make it out alright.

 **A/N: And there you have it kids! I really hope you enjoyed Bakula. I had a lot of fun writing for him and can't wait to see where he and his sister go from here! Thanks once again to Golden Moon Huntress for Bakula.**

 **Anyway be sure to review telling me what you thought of the chapter and Bakula himself. I still have a lot of space left for you to submit to this story so feel free to send in your tributes! Once again the form is on my profile, just send it to me via PM and we'll be good to go!**

 **With that said, I'll see you guys tomorrow, when we go to District 8 and visit a Tribute who's filled to the brim with her own emotional baggage! If you can't tell I'm really excited for that one, haha. Anyway that's it for me, take care you guys!**


	4. Chapter 4: Bonnie

**Bonita 'Bonnie' Nettle, 14. District 8 Female.**

Bonnie could only sit there and watch as her father, Taylor, ran about the house trying in a valiant attempt to get ready for today's big event. Making sure the rabbits were properly fed before they leave, putting a pot roast in the slow cooker for dinner tonight to celebrate another year his daughter survived, and trying to locate the reaping outfit he bought her for today not quite realizing that she was already wearing it. But that was fine, for Bonnie at least. She loved her father and all, but she wasn't exactly in the mood for talking today. Granted she never was, but especially not today. After all, she could very easily be shipped off to her death today if luck was not on her side. Not to say she really cared much about that possibility, it's not like she has much going for her anyway, but the idea of a horrifically painful death just didn't sit right with her for obvious reasons.

However at the same time, who would really miss her? She doesn't any friends, unless you count the kid across the street, and the only person whom would really miss her is her father. But even then, maybe he'd be better off without his creepy daughter scaring off every woman he brings home. He says he isn't mad every time, but the disappointment on his face says more than his lips ever could.

Looking over at the clock Bonnie saw it was roughly 11:30 AM. Only another half hour until the reapings. Letting out a sigh she stood up and shifted over in front of her father's path as he frantically made his way through the house. Coming to a sudden stop, he finally realized his daughter had already put on the blue and white dress he had bought her just last week.

"Uh, how long have you been wearing that?" He asked curiously.

"Since you handed it to me" She replied plainly. "It's almost time for some kids to go off and die, lets go."

Taylor could only look over at the clock and see she was indeed right.

"Oh shoot, let's go!" He exclaimed as he tried to hurry his daughter out the door, forgetting to turn the damn slow cooker on as he did so.

As soon as they opened the door they could see the Lace family leaving home as well. Their son, Mark, noticed Bonnie and Taylor and quickly waved to them.

"You wanna go walk with them?" Taylor asked. Which dad terms equates to 'We're walking with them.' So in response, Bonnie simply looked at her father and began to drift her way over.

"Hi Bonnie! Hi Mr. Nettle!" Mark said excitedly. "How are you guys today!"

"Ah you know, just fine and dandy kiddo!" Taylor said as he ruffled the young 16 year old's hair. The kid's dad couldn't help but to laugh, only for Mark to shoo his hand away. He shoot Taylor an annoyed look and opened his mouth to say something, only for Bonnie to beat him to the punch.

"You know he hates that, right?"

"Hey relax, he's just playing." Ms. Lace responded with a chuckle. "Seriously you two need to learn to relax a little. Have some fun."

Bonnie simply just stared at her for a moment before she started to walk ahead of the group towards town square. Mark naturally followed her, almost like a lost puppy, as their parents trailed behind the two.

"So, how's school?" Mark asked curiously.

"Jess dumped her drink on my head yesterday, that was fun." Bonnie said, the sarcasm dripping off of her tongue.

"O-oh..." Mark trailed off before asking. "Well did you report her?"

"Why bother, they never do anything about it" She said trying to sound like she didn't care that much.

"I mean... Yeah, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try..." Mark said trailing off as silence filled the air.

This would go on for a good minute or two before Bonnie looked up at the much taller boy. She could tell by his body language that he obviously looked like he wanted to say something. However for some reason he wouldn't say a word. Maybe he just wanted the silence between them to end, who knows really? Bonnie knew she didn't mind it much, however knowing the kid was uncomfortable she finally gave in and opened her mouth.

"So do you guys have any plans after this?" Bonnie asked, not so much curious but more so trying to please Mark than anything.

"Oh, we're going over to Barvos for Pizza tonight! You guys wanna come?" Mark asked a little louder than he meant to, but his lack of vocal restraint was something Bonnie was used to.

"Eh, maybe. Dad forgot to turn the slow cooker on before we left so we might take you up on that." Bonnie replied. It wasn't that she really wanted to go out, she was content staying home all day, however she had a soft spot for the kid so what was the harm?

Mark's face lit up with joy and he began to give Bonnie suggestions on what to order when they go. Obviously he was a little too excited for a mid-tier pizza joint of all things, but that was just how he was. Thankfully both families were more well off than most, so it's not like it would really break the bank for either. Maybe she would ask her dad if they could go tonight, who knows. It's not like their original plan would work now anyway.

A few feet back, their parents trailed behind with smiles plastered on their faces.

"I've never seen her talk to somebody for as long as she does with him." Taylor said joyfully.

"Likewise, it takes a lot for Mark to come out of his shell." Mr Lace stated. "Though I guess that's to be expected with the both of them."

His wife simply replied by shooting him an angry look and saying. "You know there's more to it than that."

"Oh uh... Sorry..." He replied, obviously not meaning for it to of sounded that badly.

Taylor however knew exactly what he meant though, and he couldn't help but to cringe inwardly at how they were referring to their son. He knew they didn't mean anything negative by it, their love for their son was obvious to anybody who knew them. However the way they talked about his autism was never something that sat right with him. Granted he wasn't the one raising an autistic child, but the way they treated the illness wasn't really something that ever sat right with him. Still they were good parents to the boy, so maybe he was overreacting mentally. He hoped he was, anyway.

Soon the group arrived at town square and once checked in they all went their separate ways. The parents going off to the family sections, Mark off to the older kid's, and Bonnie off to the younger. There she drifted between everyone to find herself a spot off to the side, hoping nobody would bother her. She knew they wouldn't touch her here, too many peacekeepers around who were itching to make an example out of somebody, so physically she was fine. But she didn't really feel like dealing with their comments today. Not with the nerves getting the better of her-

 _'No'_ Bonnie thought to herself as she quickly shook off her mild fright. There was really no point in being scared today anyway. If it happened it happened, who would really care if it was her?

Soon the escort made her way onto the stage. She made the same speech she always does, trying to get the district excited for another round of child murder, before introducing the 4 victors and naming the mentors for this year. Something Bonnie would of paid attention to if she really cared that much. The Mayor would then give his speech about the Dark Days and why the Hunger Games are a necessary evil to make up for something nobody alive had any hand in. Riveting stuff really. Once that was over, the escort made her way to the girl's bowl and pulled out a slip which naturally read the worst possible name it could.

"Bonita Nettle!" She exclaimed in a cheery tone.

Bonnie stood there shocked for a moment before she drifted her way towards the stage. Of course it was her, but oh well. Nothing she could do now.

Once she reached the stage, the escort tried to get a word or two out of her, only for Bonnie to give her trademark creepy stare to her. The woman backed away for a moment before asking for volunteers. Naturally there were none, and as such she moved onto the boy's bowl.

"Malachi Batiste!"

Shockingly it was a name Bonnie actually recognized, if just barely. Malachi was one of her nicer classmates, though they hardly ever interact even in school. Maybe that was for the best though considering how horribly the rest of the class treated her. However none of that mattered anymore now. Both of them were likely dead anyway.

It took a moment for little Malachi to show himself, however once he did it was clear why it took so long. He was crying his eyes out, and shaking like a leaf being ripped through a tornado's vortex. Naturally he didn't take getting reaped well, but that didn't change anything. Well, it did. The sponsors were likely thinking this kid was gonna be dead in the bloodbath, or dead by day 3 given his reaction. Granted Bonnie likely was going to be as well, but at least she took the news better than he did.

The escort once again asked for volunteers, to which once again nobody stepped up. Malachi's fate was sealed. She then asked the two to shake hands, which both reluctantly did, before they left for town hall for their final goodbyes.

Bonnie was seated in a rather well furnished room and for a moment she thought nobody would come. She hoped nobody would come. Let her just go and be left behind. However those hopes would quickly be dashed after her father bursted into the room and pulled Bonnie into a tight bear hug. Tears were flowing from his eyes as he babbled on incoherently. It took a few minutes before Taylor would let go of the vice grip he held his daughter in before he knelled down to talk eye to eye.

"Please... Bonnie... Please come home... I..." Taylor choked on his words for a moment before saying. "I can't lose you too..."

"Dad-"

"No, you listen to me." Taylor said, cutting his daughter off from whatever dismissive thing she was going to say. "Bonnie... please. You're the only thing I have left worth caring about anymore. If I lose you I'll..."

He trailed off from there, but Bonnie knew exactly what he meant. Without any other words, she pulled him back into a hug. She didn't want to promise anything, knowing she was likely dead anyway. But she didn't want to say something that would break her father's heart either. Not this time.

After a few more minutes the peacekeepers opened the doors and told Taylor it was time to go. "Please Bonnie... Come back..." was all he could muster as he stood up and was escorted out.

Thinking that was it for the visits, Bonnie was shocked to see Mark's face walk through the door soon after. He stood there wordlessly for a moment before finally speaking up.

"Y-you... You're coming back, right?" He asked, not quite knowing what else to say.

"... I don't know Mark. I really don't" Bonnie replied hesitantly. She didn't know what else to really say to him. It's not like she stood much of a chance realistically. She's not exactly the threatening type, and unless she got super lucky she wasn't winning this. At best she _might_ pick off a kill, but winning? She had no shot.

Mark however simply looked her in the eyes, tears welling up in his.

"B-But you have to. I-I don't know what I'd do without you. I..."

Without another word, Mark rushed over to the small, doll like girl and pulled her into another tear soaked hug.

"Please Bonnie, please! I can't lose you!" He exclaimed, his tears staining her once spotless dress. "Y-You're the only friend I have! I can't lose you!"

"Mark..." Bonnie said, not sure how to really respond to the crying boy. This wasn't exactly what she was expecting when this happened. People don't care about Bonnie, she's not the type of person who would ever be missed. So why is all this happening now of all times? Why do people suddenly care now?

The crying would go on for a few more minutes before the Peacekeepers came in and told Mark it was time to go. After a moment, he released his grip on the girl and looked into her eyes.

"Please... Come home"

And with that, Mark follow the Peacekeepers outside.

Hoping that was the end of it, that she could just go into the Games and die or something, she took a seat on the couch in the room. However, once she did the door opened once more. Her head turned to the doorway and there she saw Mark's dad looking at her with sadness clearly apparent on his face. It wasn't the same tear soaked sadness as the last two, but a more quiet and held back form.

"... Hello, Bonnie" He said, not sure how to begin.

"... Hi, Mr. Lace." was all Bonnie could respond with before he took his seat on the couch besides her.

"Let me just say I am so sorry this happened to you. Nobody, especially not a young child, deserves this fate." The man said, his voice shaking as he goes. "And I know you don't deserve this burden on top of it, but... I need you to promise me something."

Bonnie just looked at the man, not really sure how to respond. She had a feeling she knew what he was asking of her. The last two visitors were practically begging her to live, so why wouldn't he? But... Something inside of her forced her to say something.

"What is it?" He responded after a moment.

"... You see, my son... Hasn't ever really been close to anyone. He's always shut himself off from the world, and aside from the two of us he would rarely talk to anyone. That was until..." He trailed off before saying. "Until he met you. I know at first you two were... Hesitant to be around each other, but after a while... I don't know. He just began to open up to you, and to my surprise you let him. I know you don't consider yourself close to him, but really you're the best thing to ever happen to Mark. And if he was to lose that..."

Mr. Lace found himself trailing off again, not wanting to imagine a reality where Bonnie was no longer there. So he quickly shook himself free of the thought and continued. "So please, Bonnie. I need you to promise me, for Mark, that you'll come home alright."

Bonnie didn't know what to say really. She tried to tell him he couldn't promise that, that she was likely going to die in the games. That nothing she said or did would change that. However, instead she could only say one thing.

"... I promise Mr. Lace. I will come home soon."

Mark's Father couldn't help but to smile. It was obvious he knew how futile it was for Bonnie to even try to survive, that likely she was dead by the end of the bloodbath. However a futile attempt is still better than giving up altogether. Than simply allowing yourself to die than face the nightmare head on. Because at least then there was a chance she would survive, and that everything would turn out alright.

So, with that, Mr. Lace pulled Bonnie in for yet another hug and simply whispered a "Thank you" into her ear before he stood up and walked towards the door.

Once the man was gone, Bonnie couldn't help but to feel a bit of resentment. She hated them for doing this to her. She hated them for coming in and bawling their eyes out, she hated them for taking the situation worse than she did, and she hated them for making her promise to come home. Because now she had to actually try to survive. Something she's not even sure she wants to do herself.

 **A/N: And there's Bonnie! I hope you liked her, because I had a lot of fun writing her and like the last two I can't wait to see where she goes. I always love tributes who're a little broken long before they're even reaped so I can already tell she's gonna be fun. Anyway for the third and (possibly) final time, thank you to Golden Moon Huntress for Bonnie! I hope you're excited to see where your tributes go and where the plot takes them. I already have some fun things in store, and I think you'll like them.**

 **With that out of the way, I still have a lot of room left for people to submit tributes! Roughly 15 spots left, so grab em while ya can! I'd love to have you on board with this story and to bring your tributes to life!**

 **Anyway with that out of the way, next time we'll be heading over to District 2 to meet our first Career, Bastion Stroke! Stay tuned for tomorrow to see what he has in store for you guys. Until then, tell me what you thought about Bonnie and the chapter as a whole! And take care you guys, see you later.**


	5. Chapter 5: Bastian

**Bastian Stroke, 18. District 2 Male.**

"Again." The Trainer ordered as Bastian moved over to the training dummy and, with a single swing of his Morning Star, took its head off.

"Again." The Trainer ordered as once more Bastian moved to the next target.

This would go on for a while, at least a few more hours as Bastian and his Trainer toiled away in the early morning. This was their last chance to get any training done, and both of them weren't finishing until Bastian was at his peak. The Trainer, Norwell, had seen too many kids he's trained go into the games to die. He wasn't about to let that happen with young Bastian if he could help it.

Soon the cooking timer off to the side went off, both Bastian and Norwell's heads turning as soon as it did.

"15 minutes kid, take a break." Norwell said as Bastian let out an exhausted sigh and gently put his weapon off to the side.

With sweet dripping down his face, Bastion hurried off to the bathroom for a quick moment. After relieving himself he moved over to the sink to quickly wash his hands. While there however, his gaze soon rose to the mirror. Looking at his reflection, he could hardly believe that he was that same pudgy kid who walked into the training center all those years ago. Sweet dripping off of his dark skin, a strong stocky build, and a confident aura around him. All things that kid lacked before Bastian began his training. Most people would of stopped here, especially when their goal is only to end some petty bullying and not actually win the Hunger Games. But not Bastian, oh no. Because to him, he needed to know if after all this time that he could actually claim victory. That he could fight against the best of the best, and let his actions within the games speak for themselves. So when he was selected to be this year's male volunteer he was ecstatic.

Norwell and his parents were both a bit worried, which is only natural. Norwell has lost dozens of kids over the years, with only a few ever returning home. His parents were also worried as well. They had both trained when they were younger and lost out to the "stronger" kids of their year. Both of which would die early on, which in their minds mean they would of died too. That anyone could die. However Bastian still needed to do it. He needed to find out if he had what it takes to win. It was something he had been wondering for years, bordering on obsession even, and he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't do this.

After drying off his hands Bastian went back into the main gym area, and took a seat off to the side after grabbing his water bottle. To his right he could see the female tribute, Ava Sampdoria, training in the far corner. He sat there, watching her intently as she drew back her bow string. In a single motion, she released and struck the training dummy square on the left side of the chest. A clean kill, to be sure, but no Tribute would simply be standing 20 feet away from her and let her kill them that easily. And Bastian knew this.

He had no idea why they picked her of all people to be a Tribute, but to him it was obvious she didn't have what it took to win. Maybe it was because her brother was a Victor, but considering the sorry state of him Bastian just chalked it up as a fluke. Not to mention how horribly he had played those games as well. Considering the amount of injuries he took he should have been dead by the final 10. If it wasn't for the fact that he ended up against a 12 year old in the final 2, who should of won by the way, her brother would have been destroyed.

But no, he won, and now his sister is going to try and follow him up. To make things worse, if Bastian wanted to win he needed to work with her. The Careers were supposed to work together, after all. The strong needed to band together, otherwise the weak will take advantage of their numbers and take them down. After all, The Careers weren't the only ones capable forming alliances and if there was one thing that mattered more than strength it was numbers. Few Careers win by going it alone, they needed to unite their strength to win. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to win by killing her. After all, what's worse than having a coworker and neighbor who's sister you killed.

He continued to watch her train alone for a little while longer before his trainer called him back over, and the two began again. Swing, kill. Swing, kill. Swing, kill. Like routine almost. Except here it wasn't something normal like cleaning the floor or what not, but instead training to kill innocent children. Bastian wasn't exactly the bloodthirsty type, though he did enjoy bashing the training dummies to an extent, but he loved the thrill of a challenge. Which is what the Games are, a challenge. Many see the games as a horrific, almost barbaric ritual carried out by the Capitol for their own sick pleasure. But that's not what they are at all. In truth, they're a challenge for all 24 of the tributes to overcome with (normally) only one really pulling through. Maybe there was a better way of going about it, but after 95 years there's no reason to break what isn't broken. Though somebody should really tell Crane that given how much he messes with things.

Soon as time went on more and more kid began to fill the Center. Most of the 18 year olds had decided to stay home today, apparently seeing no point in going now that their shot at going into the Games was officially non-existent. A few did come though. Some of the boys, friendly rivals of his; congratulated Bastian on getting the spot and wished him luck; some came to hang out with their younger friend, and some just came to assist with the younger kid's training. A few of the Trainers would leave every year, either to peruse other ventures or to simply retire, so the Center was always looking for new help. As such they would always hire some of the kids who didn't get picked to volunteer or whom simply did not want to go into the games. One in particular, Jaffad, was one of the few kids who could ever stand toe to toe with Bastian. However he made it very apparent he did not wish to risk his life on the games, which left the path wide open to Bastian to enter the games. It was better this way to Bastian anyway. Nobody who doesn't want to should ever have to enter the games.

Soon the alarm rang again and Bastian went to go take a seat before he heard an annoyingly familiar voice whisper in his ear.

"Oh, only 15 dummies in ten minutes? Somebody's slipping" A feminine voice with a light giggle.

Bastian jumped in light surprise, turning his head to see a coy smile looking back at him.

 _Amber_

"So, big day. You nervous hot stuff?" She asked, trying to get some kind of reaction out of the boy. Instead he simply waved her off.

"Not really, no. No point in being nervous." He said plainly in reply.

"Oh, really now?" Amber said as coyly as she possibly could, a sinister and playful smirk crossing her lips.

"Really. I know the risk and honestly, whatever." Bastian shrugged. "If I die, oh well. I'd deserve it for volunteering like an idiot. Speaking of which you excited for next year?"

"Oh wow, was that supposed to be an insult?" Amber said, wearing a fake sadness. "Oh Bastian, I am just so hurt you think that way about-"

"HEY!" Bastian yelled out, cutting Amber off as he rose to his feet and stormed past her. He quickly approached a young boy, likely no older than ten, holding a short sword in his hands. He quickly grabbed the young child's wrist and ripped the blade from his grasp almost effortlessly.

"This isn't a toy you little brat!" He yelled at the kid. "Use one of the practice swords, you're not old enough for this.

Bastian then let go of the kid's wrist and shoved him towards the less than lethal stuff before putting the short sword back with the weaponry and returning to his seat.

"He probably didn't even notice the difference Bastian." Amber explained to Bastian as he sat down and grabbed his bottle. "I've never seen that kid in here before, he might of just gotten excited is all."

"Doesn't matter, kid should know where _his_ stuff is." Bastian stated bluntly as he unscrewed the top of his bottle. "He could of seriously hurt somebody."

"But aren't we all training to do that?" Amber asked.

The irony of his statement was not lost on Bastian. Everyone in here was training to hopefully be able to take part in a blood sport. To take life with their own hands and cause serious harm to others. But to him, there was a difference between that and allowing a child to harm somebody else in a Training Center. In the Games, that violence would happen whether or not all of these kids trained for it or took part in it. It happened before the Career system and it will happen long after Bastian's Games end. Anymore is simply pointless injury and, in the worst case, pointless death. Hell, many kids have been thrown out of the career system for being too violent towards their own training partners and that's not something you want with real weapons just laying about. Something that likely saves their lives anyway, since anyone who's that foolish is just going to get themselves killed anyway.

As such, Bastian simply looked at her and responded with a simple. "You know it's not the same thing."

Amber just shrugged and looked like she was about to say something when suddenly the head trainer, Richard Belmont, yelled out to everyone.

"Okay everyone, we have two hours until the Reapings so I want everyone to drop what they're doing and gather round!" He said as he began to wave everyone over.

Immediately everyone in the Center dropped what they were doing, began putting their stuff away, and made their way over to Mr. Belmont. The 4 or 5 dozen so kids all grouped up into a semi circle around the man, and soon he began to speak up yet again.

"I just want to thank everyone for yet another great year. I know most of you are going to be showing up tomorrow anyway, but it really does mean a lot to me that we got through yet another year smoothly!" Mr. Belmont said happily before continuing. "I would like to once again give a huge thanks to all of our Trainers. As always you guys have been great and without you we wouldn't be here, so everyone give the these lovely men and women a round of applause!"

Mr. Belmont, as always, started to clap after thanking anybody in one of his boring Sports Coach speeches. Pretty much everyone followed his lead as well, fearing not doing so would hurt their chances of getting picked once it's their year to possibly volunteer. Once the clapping ceased, the man continued.

"I would also like to congratulate both Bastian Stroke and Ava Sampdoria. Come on you two, get over here!" Belmont said, waving the two over as playfully as he possibly could.

Bastian stood up and made his way over as a few of the kids cheered him on, however Ava was nowhere to be seen. Mr. Belmont looked through the crowd of kids and quickly realized she wasn't there at all.

"Uh... Where's Ava?" He asked curiously, still looking through the crowd hoping to find her.

"She left to spend the day with her family." One girl, Modgey, said as she suddenly pipped up.

Mr. Belmont stood there for a moment, a blank expression that just barely hid his inner rage, trying to recompose himself before he spoke up again.

"Well uh... Well okay then. Glad to see she has her priorities straight." He said, obviously not happy with her for putting her family before the Training Center. Even Bastian, whom did not like Ava in the slightest, had to really question what the man's deal was. But still he choose her to be the female tribute, so in the end it was his own fault.

"Anyway, everyone give a big round of applause for Bastian!" Mr. Belmont said, bringing on more of the required clapping from the kids. "Now Bastian, I wish you the best of luck and truth be told out of the two of you I'm kind of rooting for you to win, so do me proud son!"

Mr. Belmont quickly took Bastian's hand in his and gave it a good firm shake before Bastian blurted out.

"Has anybody ever told you you're beyond petty." Somebody in the crowd said, causing a few of the kids to laugh as one or two snorted trying to hold back their own laughter. Mr. Belmont's eyes flashed red with rage for a moment as he scanned the crowd for who said that, before once more regaining his composer and putting on his fake plastered on smile.

"Well with that said everyone, I once again wanna thank you for a wonderful year. So go have fun today at the Reapings kids, you earned it!" The man said, faining excitement. "And go jump in the showers, y'all stink!"

After a few "laughs" everyone went their separate ways. Some of the kids headed straight for the locker room, while a few savages just grabbed their things and left smelling like disgusting hooligans. Bastian and Amber, being two of the less nasty people in the Center, started walking towards the locker rooms together.

"You know you really shouldn't of said that." Bastian said under his breath to her.

"Oh, now what did I say again?" Amber said with a smile.

"'Has anybody ever told you you're beyond petty.'" Bastian responded, mimicking her tone to the best of his ability.

"Oh, did I now?" Amber said with a light giggle. "Sorry Mister Goodie Two Shoes, I can't quite recall doing so."

"Whatever, just don't kill your chances at being able to Volunteer while I'm gone." Bastian said as the reached the locker rooms, turning to head to the men's side.

"Oh, so sure you're coming back now? Well aren't you cocky." Amber replied, once again trying once again to get a reaction out of him.

"When did I say I was coming back?" He asked.

Amber couldn't figure out how exactly to respond to that for a moment, before saying. "Well fine Mr. Stiff Guy, be that way. Good luck I guess."

"Thanks. See you later." Bastian said as he took a step towards the the locker room before stopping for a second "... You are coming to visit me later, right?"

Amber was visibly taken aback by this for a moment before saying. "I mean... Yeah. You're my best friend man, why wouldn't I?"

"Just wondering. See you then, Amber." Bastian replied with a smile before the two parted ways.

He quickly rushed over to one of the shower stalls, not wanting to be last in line and get stuck with nothing but cold water, and undressed before turning the on the sudden stream of steaming hot water. As he rubbed all the sweet and grime off of him, Bastian couldn't help but to feel a sense of pride within himself. Win or lose, he had done it. In 2 hours he was going to officially take part in the Hunger Games, and finally have a chance to prove to himself that these past few years were really worth it.

And he couldn't be happier.

 **A/N: And that's Bastian everyone! I know I didn't show him ACTUALLY getting Reaped, but I wanna save that for Ava's chapter since if I put it here it'll basically be 1000 words of nothing important or character defining happening and this chapter is long enough as is. That and I feel it'll be better to see it through Ava's eyes anyway.**

 **Anyway tell me what you thought of Bastian and the chapter overall everyone! I really hope you guys enjoyed it, because I know I enjoyed bringing him to life. I know I've said that with everyone so far, but it's true every time lol. Thanks again to Elim9 for submitting him, and I hope you're excited to see where he goes from here!**

 **With that said that's it from me! There's still plenty of room if you wanna send in a tribute, so hurry on up and shoot them my way! I always love seeing what kinds of characters you guys come up with, so don't be scared to give me your babies so I can horribly mur- I mean give them all the love and attention they deserve! Haha, but seriously send in your tributes.**

 **Anyway I'm out. Tune in tomorrow for when we go to District 11 and visit the broken home of Hope Anals. See you all then!**

 **(Also fun fact: Up until the last three paragraphs of this chapter I kept spelling his name as Bastion. I really need to stop playing Overwatch nearly as much as I do lol.)**


	6. Chapter 6: Hope

**Hope Anals, 15. District 11 Female.**

Hope. A word near and dear to most people in Panem. The hope that one day their suffering will end, the hope that they can one day be free of the Capitol's rule, and the hope that their children won't be in put harm's way anymore. All were things that the people of the Districts hoped would happen. Sure, the odds of that happening were slim, but what was the other option? To just accept that things will never get better and do nothing to change it? To young Hope Anals, that simply was not an option.

As she combed her brown hair in the mirror, Hope couldn't help but to feel a little nervous about today. After all, today two children were going to be reaped to take part in the Hunger Games. Obviously anybody would be scared on a day like today. But at the same time it could be worse. In fact, up until 20 years ago only one child would ever survive each Games. However since the 74th Hunger Games there have been two more instances of multiple tributes leaving alive. Sure, both times only two made it out, but that doesn't mean more can't survive in the future! Besides, who could forget watching the young Dean siblings from District 9 win together after everything they went through together! Their parents must have been ecstatic to have both their son and daughter home after thinking they lost them both.

After she finished getting ready for the day, Hope quickly got dressed and walked over to her mother's room. Quietly, she gave a knock and said. "Mother, it's time to wake up. You need to get dressed."

No response. Not something that exactly surprised Hope much, but still it's not the result she desired. She had hoped her mother would say something, anything to her. But as always, nothing. But who knows, maybe she didn't knock loud enough. Still, she did not want to be too rough with her, so she quietly opened the door to gently wake her up. Once she did though, she could see her mother sitting up right on her bed, simply looking out the window.

"Mother?" Hope called out, getting no response in return. As such, Hope simply walked towards her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Mother, we need to get ready."

Her Mother didn't so much as turn her head to the young girl as she sat there, silent and vacant. Her eyes glazed over, seemingly not even there at all.

Hope sighed, removed her hand from her Mother, and wordlessly moved over to the woman's dresser and pulled out some decent looking clothing. After a moment of searching she soon found something that would work and pulled it out before she began to help her Mother undress. Though it wasn't so much helping as it was Hope doing all the work as her Mother's limbs hung limply to her sides. It took a while to do so, but eventually Hope managed to get her Mother changed into something suitable for today. Granted it wasn't the best thing in the world, Hope didn't make enough money from her own job to buy herself new clothing often let alone her Mother, but the faded white dress would simply have to do for the day.

After a decent amount of prodding, Hope finally managed to get her mother to stand up and make her way towards the dining room. She sat the woman down in her usual seat before she herself moved into the kitchen to began cooking for the two of them. Hope did not have a lot to herself, and most of what she does have she got before her Father's accident a few years back. Since she was now the only one in the house working most of her funds went towards food and what little she had left over she had to save just in case of an emergency. However if there was one thing in the world she was proud of, it was her kitchen.

One could make the obvious "Woman in the kitchen" joke, something Hope herself acknowledges despite how low hanging a joke it is. But Hope always figured that if you don't have much, you might as well make what you do have as enjoyable as can be. As such she did what she could to get as varied and as good a food selection she could possibly get for her and her Mother. She would experiment and try new things constantly, and while the meals didn't always turn out the best at least it was an enjoyable hobby. But still, given today she wanted to at least enjoy one last _good_ meal with her Mother in case she was Reaped.

As such, she began pulling out a few eggs, a bit of flour, and some butter. She put everything onto the stove, and after getting a cup of water and some backing powder she began to make the two of them some of her "Famous" homemade pancakes. She would always call them famous, but in truth she had only made them a few times and only herself and her mother had ever ate them.

After a short while, Hope's pancakes were finally complete! After putting them onto two plates, she got out the little bottle of syrup she managed to haggle for down at the market and brought everything to the table. There, Hope ate silently as her Mother simply stared at her plate for a moment. After a while Hope's Mother finally began to eat, though never once looking up to her daughter. Almost as if Hope wasn't there at all.

This was, of course, the usual between the two of them. Sadly since Hope's older sister, Avery, was reaped 4 years ago and died in the arena her mother had never been the same. Still to some degree, she was still _there_ almost. At least, she would respond to Hope when she spoke to her anyway. However after her Husband died in a logging accident 2 years ago, she completely shut herself off to everyone around her. At first some family friends would try to help, thinking she would get better, but eventually the visits stopped. People stopped coming, friends stopped being there when Hope and her Mother needed them, and soon Hope was effectively on her own. So, in order to make sure both her and her Mother were taken care of, she dropped out of school and took up work. At the company her father died working in no less.

It was a less than ideal world Hope lived in, but tomorrow was always a new day and there was still a bright to most situations! Sure, she was working a crap job she hated, but at least the wages aren't as bad ass they were when he parents were growing up! Sure, her living conditions weren't the best, but at least she was still with her Mother and not stuck in some awful Orphanage! And sure, she didn't have many friends left in the world, but in truth anybody who would abandon somebody like they did don't deserve to be called a friend.

Eventually, the two finished their meal. After wiping her mouth of the refined tree sap, Hope got her Mother to get out of her seat as she lead the two of them to the Reapings. A time of fear and dread for most parents. Maybe Hope's Mother was feeling the same, but Hope couldn't quite tell. It was hard to tell what her Mother was thinking, assuming she was even still in there anymore.

After a slow walk, the two finally made it to the Town Square. There she and her Mother were given a few looks from those who were also waiting in line to check in. Be it remorse or shock at her Mother's condition, or genuine empathy and pity in their eyes they all seemed to blend in after a while. The same looks time and time again, every time her Mother was present. It didn't matter what their faces were or why they were there, it was always the same. In a way Hope hated it, but she could understand why her Mother would constantly get those looks from people. Her Mother's condition wasn't an easy one to take in at a glance. But even then she didn't deserve to be judged so quickly by those whom don't even know her, and likely never will.

Eventually it was Hope's turn to get checked in. After the Peacekeeper took her prints, Hope spoke up and said. "Excuse me, my Mother may need help getting to her Section. Could you please lead her there?"

Asking the Peacekeepers to do anything was always scary for Hope. After all her older coworkers would always tell her these horror stories about how bad they were years ago, and how very little has actually changed in recent times with them. However both times she requested they assist her mother it always ended the same.

"Sure thing Ma'am." The Peacekeeper said with a smile. "Hey Benny, could you handle this?'

The Peacekeeper by the name of Benny simply nodded and helped to guide the woman along. However Hope's Mother suddenly stopped, which cause Benny a slight bit of surprise. Her Mother's next action, would shock Hope even more though.

"Good luck" She said, turning her head to her daughter. Her eyes still giving the same glazed over look. However, Hope couldn't help but to look at her with shock. Her Mother was still in there! She was still there after all!

As her Mother turned away and began walking with Benny once more, Hope couldn't help but to tear up a little. This was the first time her Mother had said anything in years to her, let alone anyone! She had thought that she might of lost her, that her Mother was gone for good. But no, she was still in there.

She was still her.

The Peacekeeper at the desk didn't say anything to her. He was obviously a little shocked at Hope's physical reaction to her Mother simply saying good luck. However the fact that the woman needed help walking to the family section told him all he needed to know. After he gave Hope a moment to compose herself he simply flashed her a smile and said. "Well Miss, as they say, May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor. Take care today."

"Y-Yes, thank you sir." Hope said giving the man a polite wave, one which he returned as she walked away wiping a tear from her eye.

That was it. Today was going to be a good day for Hope, she just knew it! This was the first time in forever that Hope's Mother ever said a word to her. As such she was as ecstatic as could be! Sure, the Reapings weren't normally associated with good things for the Districts, but that didn't change how amazing this was for her! Now all she had to do was get through this mess and nothing could ruin today for her.

Hope quickly made her way through the crowd and saw a very familiar head of red hair in front of her. Sneaking her way through the crowd, she playfully grabbed at her friend Ruby's shoulders and screamed as quietly as one could scream. Ruby instantly jumped up in shock before turning to her friend, mildly annoyed

"Really Hope!?" Ruby exclaimed. "You know I hate that!"

"Haha, sorry Ruby. Couldn't resist." Hope said as she took her place next to her friend.

Ruby was one of the few real friends she had left. Unlike many others she had stuck by Hope after her Mother essentially broke. It's never been easy for her to do, but no matter what she would always be there to lend a hand wherever possible. Really, she was a true friend.

The two would talk for a while, the type of playful banter you'd typically see between teens, until their escort walked up to the stage and the ceremony began. After all the speeches and attempts to hype up the audience, the escort walked over to the female bowl and drew a name.

"Would Miss Hope Anals please step forward!"

Hope's heart dropped the instant she heard her name called. That was it, she was done. There was no way out of this, no bright side to be seen. She was doomed. Doomed!

 _Well... At least I get to see the Capitol_ She thought to herself as she began to make her way to the sage, heart racing as she did so. _And... If I win, maybe I can help Mom some!_

The closer she got to the stage the more she realized that maybe this situation wasn't so bad after all.

 _And if I win, that'll get the District some money too!_

Slowly, a small smile began to form on her lips.

 _And I could also pay Ruby back for helping me!_

There was a bright side to this after all.

 _Maybe Mom will finally come back!_

Sure, it wasn't an ideal situation. But it's not like her current one was really any good anyway. She's used to dealing with tough situations, and this is no different. To her this wasn't really a death sentence. Instead, it was a chance. A chance to change everything, and fix her life once and for all. And she was going to do whatever it took to make sure it happened.

 **A/N: Oh god that ending was beyond rushed, but I kind of need to leave for the day in like half an hour and won't be back for the whole day so I really needed to get this out like now. Oh well though, it happens!**

 **If you're reading this and wanna submit a tribute of your own, I have like 9 stop left so get em while you still can!**

 **Anyway, thanks to KatnissEeveedeen for sending Hope my way! I** _ **Hope**_ **(Hehe, get it?) I did her justice and I** _ **Hope**_ **you're excited to see where she goes from here! To everyone else, feel free to tell me what you thought about the chapter and Hope herself! Check in tomorrow when we revisit District 8 and meet Bonnie's District Partner, Malachi Batiste! See you guys then!**


	7. Chapter 7: Malachi Part 1

**A/N: Hey quick note you guys. My house kind of lost power today so I wasn't able to do much writing today so this is gonna have to be split into 2 parts. I'll also be doing some minor changes to the format of this story that I'll explain at the end of the chapter. For now, enjoy!**

 **Malachi Batiste, 14. District 8 Male.**

"So you need anything else Uncle Freddy?" Malachi asked as he looked up at his taller, more imposing Uncle.

"Nah I think this is the best we're gonna get it kid." Frederick says as he slipped off his dirty work gloves. "It'll do for now, but we may need to get the pipe replaced soon."

"Crap, really?" Malachi said, obviously a little worried. "But we just saved up for Arthur's braces."

"Well if your Dad and I take a few more hours at the factory this week we _might_ be able to afford it." The older man said, not quite sure it'll be enough between the two of them.

However that didn't cross Malachi's mind as couldn't help but to inwardly breath a sigh of relief. He was already working 28 hours a week and really wasn't looking forward to taking on even more over a busted pipe in the bathroom.

"Well that's good." The young boy said as a light smile spread across his face. "I mean not the extra hours thing, but that we can get it replaced."

"I said might, Malachi." Frederick said, the thought just now registering in Malachi's mind. "You, Lucas, and Mindy might have to chip in as well."

 _Crap..._

"Well, so long as we get the money I guess." Malachi said, trying to mask his annoyance. He didn't want to argue with his Uncle, after all he was right. The pipe needed to be replaced and if he and his father couldn't do it alone the rest would need to help. It's just that he really didn't want to give himself an even bigger work load on top of his currently existing one. But still, it was better not to argue it.

"Anyway kiddo, we need to get going soon so why don't you get changed." Frederick said as he walked past the boy.

"Sure thing." Malachi replied. "Any idea what Mom's making today?"

"Oh. Nothin' too grand. Just some eggs and toast." Frederick stated before exiting the room.

Eggs and toast. Sure, it was better than what they normally ate, but Malachi was hoping for something a little more exciting. He shouldn't expect much though, given their current living situation. After all, if they could afford to eat anything better they wouldn't be living with two families in one tiny apartment. But still, it could be worse Malachi supposed. At least they have a roof over their heads.

Malachi made his way over to the room he and his cousin Lucas shared, saying hello to his Aunt Millicent on the way by. Once there he found his outfit for the Reapings already laid out for him. A faded gray shirt a pair of black pants.

 _It just had to be that shirt..._

Malachi quickly got changed out of his regular clothing and put on the "Better" cloths. The gray shirt obviously a few sizes too big for him. Which was only natural, since it used to belong to his cousin Lucas. As were most of his other shirts as well. Lucas' pants were all far too big to ever stay up on Malachi, with Lucas being far more bulky than small and lanky Malachi, so they were the only things in his wardrobe that weren't hand-me-downs. Too bad he's around that age where he should be hitting his growth spurt and shooting up like a daisy.

As soon as the boy was finished he swung open the door and walked over to the kitchen, which doubled as a dining room simply due to lack of space, and took a seat at the table where the rest of the family was already waiting.

"Tuck your damn shirt in, boy." Malachi could hear coming from the seat across from him. Looking up he could see it came from his Grandmother, Dottie. Her ever critical eye glared daggers at him as he hesitated for but a moment before he hastily tucked it in.

Malachi's mother looked towards her son with a hint of concern, however she said nothing as she brought everyone their plates. The food wasn't anything to write home about. The Eggs were slightly over cooked and the toast was dry and toasty. But at least they had food to put on their plates. Their situation could be way worse in fact. At least, that's what Malachi was told anyway.

None of the adults in Malachi's family was ever able to finish school. All but Aunt Millicent had to drop out in favor of taking a job at age 13, while she managed to last all the way to 15. As such none of them were really able to find better work than they already had. It's hard to find a well paying job without a High School diploma. That's why it's such a good thing that none of their kids has had to do so yet. Lucas, at age 17, is actually set to be the first in their family to of ever graduated High School, with Mindy, Malachi, and little Arthur all looking like they'll be able to do the same. Sure, they were all working after school jobs they hated, but with the pay raises the Districts have gotten in recent years they were able to work part time instead of full while still keeping the family feed. Keeping all of them in School and hopefully setting them up for a better adult life than their parents got. Overall, it's not the worst hand to be dealt.

Soon everyone finished their food and everyone began to go on their way. Lucas and Mindy both left piratically instantly. Giving their family only a light wave good bye as they hurried out the door to spend time with their friends before the reaping. Malachi however stayed behind, hiding out in his room away from the rest of the family in a rare moment of quiet in the apartment. His friend, Rose, already said she'd come by his place before the Reapings anyway so he figured he might as well take advantage of the situation. It's not so much that he disliked his family, far from it in fact. However living in such a small apartment with 8 other had many disadvantages. One in particular being the lack of privacy one was afforded.

However as always the situation could be far worse. After all, at least they were still together. It's not uncommon for families within the Districts to be broken up easily. Be it through some work related incident, the Peacekeepers coming in and taking somebody away, or a child getting thrown into the Games and never returning. You could see the scars all around District 8 of the people whom were ripped away from their loved ones' lives, and to think about how such a thing was almost horrifying. But he didn't need to, because they were there. Everyone was still there, safe and sound. Just like they would be after today.

After a short time had passed, Malachi heard a knock at the door. Knowing his mother would check the door herself, Malachi laid on his bed for a moment longer before he could hear her call out to him.

"Malachi! Rose is here!" She said as she moved towards the boy's room.

Malachi slowly rolled back out of his bed and managed to beat his Mother to his door. A rare moment in the apartment to be sure. After saying thanks to her he made his way over to the door where he was greeted with a familiar face.

"Hey man, what's hangin'?" Rose asked with a light smile and wave.

"Ah, ya know. Not much." Malachi said with a shrug. "You ready to get going?"

"You know it." Rose replied with a grin and a nod.

Malachi then wished his family good bye, saying he'll see them after the reapings, and headed out with Rose.

 **A/N: Like I said Malachi is getting a part 2 since there's still a lot to him I wanna touch on, but for now I realized I need to have a backup plan in store in case something goes wrong like it did today of all days.**

 **So, hopefully I'll be able to get through the rest of the reapings before I have to resort to this, but should anything happen again that prevents me from being able to do a full chapter daily (Since in the end this story is more about me getting back into writing than anything else) I will be doing little "Side Chapters" centered around one of the non-tribute characters of the story. Maybe a family member or friend who didn't get much screen time in their respective tribute's chapter, or maybe somebody within the Capitol who's either directly or indirectly involved in the games. I was already planning on having some longer Side Chapters anyway so flow wise the story won't change much. This is just me setting myself up so I'm not forced to miss a day because of stuff outside of my control, and so I don't break the habit of writing daily that I'm trying to create.**

 **Anyway tell me what you think of all of this you guys! I'm gonna get to work on the rest of Malachi's chapter right away and get you that in the morning. For now tell me what you guys think about this change up, and I'll catch ya next time! Later!**


	8. Chapter 8: Malachi Part 2

**Malachi Batiste, 14. District 8 Male.**

"Sooooooooooo..." Rose said, drawing the word out as long as she possibly could. "Got any plans for after the Reapings?"

"Not right now, no." Malachi answered plainly.

"Well what do you wanna do tonight then?"

"Uh..." Was all Malachi could say in response as he tried to come up with a real actual answer. His own indecisiveness kicking in yet again. "I don't know, what about you?"

"Well, how about we hang out at my place? I'm sure your family wouldn't mind." Rose suggested.

"Oh, that sounds nice!" Malachi replied, thanking himself for the save. Spending the day with Rose seemed like a great plan anyway. The two had been friends for years regardless, so a day at her house would be fun and far more peaceful than the typical chaotic day at his place. Not to mention a day with Rose is just objectively better than a day without Rose. At least, it was to Malachi.

 _Come on man, just say it already_

"So uh..." Malachi said, the words failing to exit his mouth as he did so.

"So what?" Rose asked, slightly confused.

"Well..." Malachi said, trying once again to form the right words.

 _Just do it already Malachi!_

"I was wondering how your field hockey game went!" Malachi asked, ditching his original intent. "Sorry I had to miss it. Had work and all."

"Oh, yeah, we won. Pretty easily too. You should of seen Tracy, she destroyed the other team's goalie!"

Malachi's face wore a smile, however internally he was screaming his damn lungs out. He'd had a crush on Rose for a while now, but every time he tried to confess his feelings towards her he couldn't help but to back peddle. Stopping himself before he could tell her how he really felt. However the logical part of his brain told him that it was better to keep it a secret, at least for now. After all the two were only 14 years old, and relationships that start when both people are young rarely last. Not to mention what if she just didn't think of him in the same way as he did her? That could very easily ruin their friendship for the both of them. Sure, keeping his feelings hidden was never fun, but he figured it was better to wait before he said anything. Besides, he'd always be able to do it later on if he wanted to.

After a bit of idle chit chat between the two friends, they finally arrived at the town square. After getting checked in the two go to their section and wait patiently for the Reapings to begin. There, the two kids couldn't help but to feel a bit worried. With Rose's name was in the bowl 9 times and Malachi's a grand total of 13 there was naturally reason to be scared. But still that was only a few slips within thousands and thousands. Not to mention the number of other kids who had to take Tesserae as well. The two should be fine statistically speaking. However without that they would only have 3 slips in there each, and those odds are far better than the 6 and 10 extra slips they had respectively. The upper class of the District are likely sitting there as relaxed as can be, not even worried about getting Reaped. After all, here these two 14 year old kids had more slips in there than any rich 18 year old ever would. It was hardly fair, but that was simply how things went.

It wasn't long the ever annoying Escort for District 8, Miss Tammy Bolla, made her way to the stage. They say ever annoying, but in truth that was likely all of the Escorts. Malachi figured that there wasn't likely to be anybody outside of the Career Districts who liked their Escort anyway, so it's not like the Capitol had to pick the non-Career ones aside from who's the most eye catching. And Tammy was... Eye catching, to say the least. With her Dark Purple Victorian Era Style dress and her ugly Beehive style hair of the color it was impossible to miss her. In a way, Malachi felt bad for her. Sure, some escorts eventually manage to rise through the ranks and find themselves in the Career Districts, however most are stuck in the District they're stuck in no matter how hard hey try. Something that would likely happen to Tammy, seeing as she's been stuck in District 8 since she started Escorting almost a decade ago.

After the usual speeches and attempts to get the Districts ready for the Games, the reapings began. Rose naturally looks a little worried. Who wouldn't be when they could possibly be sent to their deaths without being able to do anything to stop it. But thankfully for her, it wasn't her name pulled this time around.

"Bonite Nettle!" Tammy exclaimed in her ever usual cheery tone.

On one hand Malachi was relived it wasn't his cousin Mindy or Rose. But on the other hand he couldn't help but to feel a little bad for Bonite. After all the two had been classmates since Kindergarten, so he couldn't help but to feel a tinge of sadness as she walked up onto the stage. However at the same time the two hardly knew each other aside from a few obvious things. So really, between losing somebody he cared about and somebody he hardly knew, Malachi would always take the latter.

Slowly Bonnie drifted her way to the stage, her appearance almost resembling that of doll if not for her neutral yet unhappy expression. She almost didn't seem to care as she made her way to the stage and totally ignored Tammy. After an awkward exchange with the young girl, Tammy made her way to the male's bowl and reached in to draw a name.

Malachi couldn't help but to pray it wasn't him, nor either of his cousins. Little Arthur only had one name in the bowl, so he wasn't too worried about him. However Lucas had his name in there 16 times. The odds of one of them being Reaped are fairly good all things considered, and Malachi just hoped nether of them would be. However, his hopes would soon be dashed as soon as Tammy spoke.

"Malachi Batiste!"

Malachi's face dropped in horror the second he heard his name called. This had to be a mistake, it just had to be. There was no way his name was just called, there was no way he was just called to die! Malachi couldn't help but to take a few steps back, Rose looking at her friend in shock as he did so. He looked around the area, as if trying to find some kind of escape route or a way out. However, when he looked towards the family sections he saw something in the corner of his eye. The same, judging look he had always gotten growing up.

Turning his head a little more, he could see his grandmother looking at him. Almost as if she already knew what he was trying to do, she simply shook her head no to the boy. Annoyance clearly apparent in her eyes as she did so. Malachi, as always, simply did what he was told and began to make his way to the stage.

By the time he had made his way out of the crowd the waterworks had already begun. Unable to control himself the boy began to sob profusely. His tears growing in number as he slowly made his way to the stage. The rest of his body would soon follow suit, and he began to shake like a leaf. Every single step simply became harder and harder for the boy, and he felt as though he could topple over at any second. He figured he might as well anyway. Who cared what the sponsors thought at this point. He was already sobbing like the coward he was, it's not like he was getting any support anyway. But still, in the end he managed to at least get to the stage alright.

Tammy couldn't help but to look at Malachi with a slight bit of remorse. Almost as if she knew he was already dead. He could see the victors of the District were also looking at him the same way as well. There was no helping him at this point, Malachi was already dead.

 _Unless..._

"Are there any volunteers!" Tammy yelled out, turning to the crowd as she did so.

Yes! Of course! Volunteers! Maybe, just maybe, somebody would step forward for the kid! Maybe somebody had been training in secret, or maybe somebody would take pity on him and take his spot! Either way, somebody had to take his place! Somebody had to volunteer!

But, as he looked out into the crowd, it became apparent that wasn't the case. Nobody was stepping forward. Nobody was volunteering. Nobody was swooping in to save the obviously doomed kid from his own demise. Soon the moment passed with Tammy being forced to move on with the show, and it was then Malachi realized he was really and truly screwed. Nothing he did would save him, nor would any miracle occur to pull him out alive.

Malachi was dead, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

 **A/N: Okay let me start off by apologizing to you guys for having to split this up into 2 chapters, but in truth there was no way I was gonna be able to get through this whole chapter in the very little amount of time I had yesterday. Or should I say today since I've been typing this since I posted the last chapter too... Well it's technically a new day so whatever!**

 **Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Tell me what you thought of little Malachi here and the chapter as a whole! Thanks again to Elim9 for Malachi, and I hope you're excited to see what the games have in store for the kid!**

 **With all that said tune in for tomorrow when we head over to District 9 and meet** **Levi Serr! I hope you're as excited as I am to see this anti-social dork in action, so see you all then!**


	9. Chapter 9: Levi

**Levi Serr, 18. District 9 Male**

"So... How's School been Levi?" Sabrina asked her son, whom seemed totally uninterested in holding any conversation.

"Fine." Was Levi's only reply, not even looking up at his parents as he ate his breakfast.

"Make any new friends recently?" His father, Kendrick, asked curiously.

"No." Was all that came out of the boy's lips as he shoved a large piece of pancake into his mouth.

This was not an unusual occurrence in the Serr home. At least, when they actually conversed it wasn't. The three sitting down together and interacting with each other was certainly out of the ordinary in any occurrence to say the least. With both Parents working 18 hours a day they rarely had time to spend with their son. As such most days 18 year old Levi Serr was left alone to his own devices. Something he did not mind in the slightest. The two basically forgot about him the second he turned 3 anyway so why should he care about them? They only seemed to kept him around for the Tessera anyway.

The two parents tried to converse with their son for a little longer, however nothing they did seemed to work on the child. They would ask questions, and in response he would only give short one word answers. It went on until Levi had finished his meal, wiped his face of the syrup that coated his food, and left the table. Choosing instead to spend the rest of his time in his room with what he considered to be his only friend.

Laying under his bed was, in truth, the only thing that mattered in Levi's life. "The Gay Science", a book by Friederich Nietzsche. An old, almost ancient book dating back to almost the days before Panem existed. At least, it's initial publication was anyway. This version had likely only been printed around 30 years ago, though where and how Levi had still yet to figure out. It wasn't until the last decade when Books from Pre-Panem were even allowed to be read publicly, or even at all for that matter. Not to mention the limited amount of them that were sanctioned as well, a list that did not include the book that Levi possessed. So for this book to even exist, let alone be in Levi's hands, is something the boy could not begin to comprehend how it happened. But it's likely a mystery that will forever go unsolved.

The only lead on this book's origin that he had was his Father, who owned the book before Levi stole it while he was at work. Likely something his Father has yet to realize seeing as once he isn't working he's sleeping, and the few days off he gets he's running errands to keep the house from falling onto their heads or making sure Levi has enough food to eat while they're away. But asking the man would likely land him in hot water, and officially being an adult and not being able to bring Tessera home after today means that his old man has very little reason not to just kick him out and make him effectively homeless. Sure, he was curious, but not curious enough to risk that. Besides, he really didn't need to know the origin of the book.

Laying down on his bed and opening the book, he quickly found one of his favorite passages and began to read it quietly. Levi, in all truthfulness, was obsessed with the book. Whenever he wasn't at school or eating he'd very likely be reading the book. It was the only possession in this world that he gave a damn about, and any new piece of information that he could find on it was well worth it to him. For example, one of the first things he discovered in his research was an explanation for the book's title. As it turns out the word gay did not use to mean what it does now, and that instead of being one's attraction to the same sex it used to mean joyful or happy. Levi had no idea why the word shifted meaning over the years, but in the end it mattered little. The discovery however was still something that brought him great joy, as did any discovery he found with the book.

From learning of some deeper meaning one section had, or simply seeing the passion Friederich Nietzsche put into his work, Levi would find something new to love about the book seemingly every day. It was something he did not want to lose, or even risk losing for that matter. It was simply too important to him to ever put into harm's way. As such there was very little chance it would ever even leave his room, at least until he moved out and had the means of keeping it safe. Maybe after he wasn't at risk of getting kicked out he would ask his Father where the book came from as well. After all, they could very well know even more about the book than Levi ever would.

After a little while Levi could hear footsteps coming towards his room. He quickly closed the book and slid it safely back under his bed, but thankfully for him his Mother did not enter the room right away and instead choose to knock.

"Levi, we need to go soon. Are you changed yet?" She asked calmly.

Levi however responded by simply nudging the book farther under his bed and heading over to the door. Dressed in the same sweeter he slept in, and the black jeans we slipped on for breakfast today, he opened the door to the light shock of his Mother.

"Levi, don't you want to get changed first?" She asked nervously.

"Will it make a difference?" He asked in response. "If I'm Reaped I'll die anyway, and if I'm not my outfit still changes nothing."

Sabrina looked as though she wanted to argue, however Levi's reasoning was rather sound. As such her son simply walked around her and made his way towards the door.

"I'll see you after the Reapings." Levi said, before he walked out the door.

People always say that Reaping Day was a day you're supposed to spend with your family, however unlike most people Levi did not care about his family. With no siblings of his own and a rather neglectful pair of parents he felt no real need to be around the people who called themselves his "Family", whatever that meant. Even then though, some people suggest spending the day with friends if you cared little about your family. That would be an option if Levi had ever been the social type. But through his sheer inability to make friends and his sheer unwillingness to ever try Levi didn't really have any of those either. Not that he cared, Levi was perfectly fine on his own. But at the same time it did mean he was basically on his own. Sure that was fine for now, but even in the Districts you mainly got by in life off of your connections. Who you knew mattered way more than what you could do, and even though they claim it to be District 9 was not a place where you guy by on merit. Maybe he had already screwed himself over by then, but he was still young. He was sure he'd figure something out.

Eventually he made his way to the Town Square, and like every other person in Panem he got himself checked in as to avoid getting a round of bullets in the face later tonight. From there he went to his area and waiting for the Reapings to begin in silence. Around him the people in his age group would attempt to make small talk, or take their minds off of what was about to happen in just a few minutes. Levi on the other hand? He simply didn't care. If anything he was almost bored with this whole thing. He'd gone through the terror of the Reapings 6 times now and every time nothing happened. Well, something did happen. A boy that wasn't him was Reaped and died in the games. However nothing happened to him and in truth that was all that mattered. But even then he had a weird feeling about this year. That he would be drawn today in fact. But if he was, whatever. Not like he had anything to look forward to in life outside of his book anyway.

Soon the Escort rudely screamed into the microphone and gathered everyone's attention instantly. It was at this point Levi stopped paying attention. After all, who cared about all the speeches they would give or any of these petty attempts to get the District excited? All they wanted to do was know who was going to die and be done with it. Nobody needed these extra details. Thankfully they were over soon enough and the escort moved on with the show.

"Simone Carson!" The escort yelled out, pulling from the female bowl first.

After a few moments, Simone finally showed herself. A short 15 year old girl with mid-length brown hair, Simone tried her best to keep on a brave face. In fact most people would see her reaction and think she took the news rather well. However Levi could tell instantly just how scared the young girl was. He was rather talented at reading people, and knew Simone wasn't taking this well at all. She just knew that the Games start the second you're reaped, and that if you aren't playing to what the Capitol wants to see from the start you're likely going to die. Granted she was still going to die, but at least she was trying and that had to count for something. Right?

Soon she made her way to the stage, and the escort moved onto the men. In the bottom of Levi's stomach he could almost feel he was going to get pulled, and sure enough...

"Levi Serr!"

 _Knew it_

Levi began to make his way to the stage, almost bored as he did so. However he couldn't help but to feel his heart race a little. Something he had never experienced before aside from after a large amount of physical activity. He was nervous, clearly. But not the scared to death nervous. It was more an unsure type of feeling, like he didn't know what to expect from here. But it's not like he had much to worry about anyway. After all he was one of the smartest people (at least ones who are eligible to be reaped) in the District, he was sure he could come up with something to get out of that mess alive.

So, as he made his way up the stairs and in front of the crowd, he couldn't help but to start figuring out his next step. From his interview strategy to his performance in the games, Levi was already plotting for every situation he could find himself in. Not that it would matter anyway. His odds of getting out were almost non-existent. However what better time to start dreaming of success than when you're on the cusp of death?

 **A/N: And that's Levi everyone! I know this chapter was shorter than most, however it's kind hard to make a chapter longer when you don't have any family members or friends to work with. Don't worry though, I already have big things planned for Levi and I think you guys are gonna love em! So tell me what you guys thought of him and the chapter!**

 **Anyway guys, I've still got plenty of room left for you to submit characters! Seven spots left in fact! If you haven't submitted a character yet and want to get yourself involved than feel free to send somebody my way! Or if you've already submitted somebody and wanna send in somebody else that's totally fine as well! That said I'm officially setting the cap at 3 characters max per users, so if you've already submitted that many I'm sorry but that's it.**

 **With that said, thanks to Jolteon2404 for Levi, and tune in tomorrow when we revisit District 2 to finally meet Ava Sampdoria! See you guys then!**


	10. Chapter 10: Ava

**Ava Sampdoria, 18. District 2 Female**

Closing the door behind her, Ava couldn't help but to let out a sigh as she snuck out of the Training Center. Typically, the chosen careers would stick around until the end of the last day to say good bye to everyone, but not Ava. Not today. Maybe it was her nerves getting the better of her, or maybe she just didn't want to face the others before marching off to her possible death, but either way she knew she couldn't stick around today. She needed to get home, and soon.

Granted, she didn't exactly need to rush. It was at least 5 hours until the Reapings were set to take place and home was only half an hour away. But still, she knew she'd rather spend what was possibly her last day of peace with the people she really cared about.

Thankfully, Modgey was covering for her in case anybody asked where she was. It wasn't like lying about Ava going home would hurt her much anyway. She typically only trained to spend time with friends rather than actually training to enter the games, and the only person who'd get mad at her couldn't do much besides say she couldn't do the thing she obviously wasn't going to do anyway. As such she was able to make sure Ava got out quickly while not risking anything to herself. Ava was sure Modgey would have helped her regardless, she was a great friend after all, but the fact this wasn't coming back to bite her did help a lot.

Ava, avoiding her fellow trainees to the best of her ability, quickly began to make her way home. She wanted to be away from that place as quickly as possible. The Training Center was never really a fun place for her, what with all the stress and expectations thrusted upon her due to her family legacy. Being the daughter of a Victor tends to make everyone instantly think you're supposed to be something great. That you're going to carry the torch for your family and bring honor to District 2 all over again. It doesn't help when your brother managed to come home with a win as well.

Ava was far from the only Victor's child to try their hand at being a career, however most eventually fall off, be eventually dissuaded from volunteering by their parents, or fail to get chosen. Ava and her brother were different, and just like Candor before her she had managed to earn her spot in the games. Something she knew her father wouldn't be happy with, but it was something she had to do.

Roughly 4 blocks away from home, however, Ava heard a male voice call out from behind her.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Ava, what's up!"

Ava quickly turned to see the boy, the 15-year-old Angelo Stoke. The younger brother of her District partner, Bastian.

 _Great_ She thought to herself. _Exactly who I wanted to see_

It wasn't like she hated the kid, or even disliked him. In fact, the two got along pretty well for the most part. However, with his brother being chosen to enter the games alongside her, it was very likely she'd have to kill him to escape with her life. Something Angelo had to of known. After all, the kid was far from stupid. So naturally she had no idea why he wanted to talk to her, but she figured it couldn't be good.

"Haha… You know, nothing much." She replied awkwardly as she turned to keep walking. Angelo quickly running to her side.

"Nothing much?!" Angelo said excitedly. "I heard you're volunteering today! That's not nothing, that's awesome!"

 _Oh Panem why?_

"Oh, you heard?" She replied, masking her annoyance the best she could. "Yeah I was kind of hoping to keep it a surprise, but I guess word gets around fast and all"

"Blame Kelsie, she's been bitching about how she got passed up for a 'talentless victor's kid" to everyone within a 20-mile radius" Angelo replied with a chuckle.

"You mean after 4 years of me kicking her ass?"

"Yup"

"Idiot…" Was all Ava could say in reply.

"Still, don't let it get to you. You and Bastian have a Hunger Games to win!" Angelo exclaimed as he lightly punched Ava on the shoulder. "Seriously, I got a good feeling about this year!"

"Yeah, I do too…" Ava said, trying to play off how uncomfortable she was the best that she could. "One of us is winning this year, I'm sure of it."

"I think you mean both of you." Angelo said as he flashed his signature big goofy smile at the girl. "Seriously, you two are two of the best careers we've had in years, and with how close we are to a quell year I'm sure we're getting a multiple victor games this year. You two are winning, trust me."

Ava couldn't help but to be a bit taken aback by Angelo's words. Sure, the idea of both of them making it out alive was nice and all, but it was very unlikely to happen. In the past 20 years there's only been 5 chances for more than one tribute to win, and even then it's only really worked out twice. Once more the actual options for who you survive with were… Rather limited at best. Even if they had the chance to get multiple people out alive this year, it was also possible Bastian and Ava wouldn't be able to survive together. Simply put, there was no use in hoping for such a thing. Only one of them was going to survive this year.

But rather than let him down hard, Ava simply said jokingly "Yeah, assuming Bastian doesn't try and kill me. You forget we don't exactly get along."

"Bastian wouldn't do that. You forget 'Killing your District partner is bad, and will only weaken your chances in the long run' or whatever his trainer always says"

Angelo let out a laugh after saying that, however even though he was joking he wasn't exactly wrong. Bastian was always a by the books guy through and through, and will stick to that. Even against his better judgement.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. I'll try and get us out alright." Ava said, waving the boy off with a chuckle.

"You promise?" He said, curiously.

"Yeah yeah, I promise." Ava said, trying to rush the kid along. It wasn't like she wouldn't try and get the both of them out alive if she could. After all, she might not like him, but he was still from home. He was still her partner. If she was going to value anybody's life over the rest, it would be his. However, the games were unpredictable. She knew better than to get her hopes up. So, in truth, the half promise was all she could really give.

But it quickly became apparent that half promises wouldn't be enough when Angelo came to a complete stop and said "I'm serious."

Ava, as well, stopped walking as well, and looked back at the boy. His usually goofy grin was replaced by one filled with worry, and even a little fear.

 _Dammit_ She thought to herself before saying something she knew she would regret later.

"Fine, fine. I promise the both of us will be coming back. Alive."

Angelo's face, while not totally free from worry, suddenly light up to a degree that was at least reconizable as him.

"Anyway... I'll leave you to your busnisses. Sorry for bothering you Ava." Angelo said as he began to walk right past her. "See you after the reapings, and good luck in there!"

Ava couldn't help but to feel a little confused for a moment at his sudden departure until she noticed the black, gated archway in front of her. 'Victor's Village' the sigh on it read, singling to everyone the divide between the Victors and the rest of the District. Feeling a little stupid for not realizing she made it there at first, Ava quickly opened the gates and walked inside.

The street was lined with the houses of both young and old victors' families alike. Ava would always hear about how some communities in District 2 were close, like large extended families almost, however part of her always thought it was bullshit. But looking at the Victor's Village, the place she called home, she couldn't help but to wonder if there was some validity to those words. Sure there was a bond that none of the areas could even come close to replicating, after all you don't all come out of a battle to the death and not have some level of respect for each other, but in a way they all truly did care about one another. They did get into petty spats from time to time, egos are going to clash between former careers after all, however as her neighbors waved at her and wished her luck in the games she couldn't help but to be at least somewhat thankful for them. Especially after what they did for Candor.

Soon, Ava found herself at the front steps of her house. She quickly made her way up the three small steps onto the porch, opened the door, and walked inside.

"Hey guys, I'm home!" Ava exclamed, hearing a roaring laughter coming from the inside.

"You're just in time Ava, come on in!" She heard her brother, Baron, call out.

She quickly walked through the door and threw her workout bag off to the side. She went into the living room to see both her parents, her brother Baron, his wife Renata who held their young son in her arms.

"Ava, Ava, come over here!" Yorick called out to her, waving the girl over to take a seat.

Ava, naturally, complied without question. Taking a seat next to Renata, she began to sit there and listen to the giant goofball tell his story about some random captiol guy he met during last year's games. Ava couldn't help but to laugh through the majority of it, despite the fact that in reality it wasn't that good of a story. Just Baron and Renata going out to dinner and this one random guy deciding to sit down with them for no reason. If anything it sounded more awkward and uncomfortable than funny, but Baron's delivery was really all that was needed to make it good.

"Oh shit!" Ava's father, Charles, exclamed looking over at the clock, raising from his seat. "Almost forgot to wake up Candor."

"I got it dad, I have to get changed anyway." Ava said as she got up.

"Well then, be careful. You know how he gets on reaping day" Charles said as he plopped back down into his seat. Ava simply nodded and began to head up the stairs. No further words really needed.

Ava made her way to Candor's room and quickly knocked on the door before opening it slightly.

"Candor, it's time to get ready." She said, poking her head in through the doorway.

Candor stured in his bed for a moment before turning to face his sister.

"Ungh, I'm coming." He groaned out, obviously still tired despite the clock next to him reading 11:45.

Ava simply nodded and was about to leave before her brother said.

"Hey, Ava... You know you don't have to do this, right?"

"I uh..." Ava muttered. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower. I'll talk to you in a bit."

Candor looked like he was about to say something, however Ava quickly closed the door and made her way to her room. She wanted to tell him that everything would be fine, and that she would make it out of the games alright. But after his games she knew he had every right to be worried.

Around 4 years ago, Candor volunteered for the 91st annual Hunger Games. A year that's remembered as one of the most brutal and horrific of all of the Games' history. An arena based on twisted fairy tales, the mutts from that game had almost the kill count that the tributes themselves did and you were lucky if you were able to survive just an encounter with them. Candor thankfully was able too, however the wolf beast he fought destroyed his leg. Worst part was it was still early into the games themselves, so everyone thought he was a dead man walking.

But, somehow, Candor didn't die. His condition would keep getting worse and worse as the days and weeks went on, but somehow Candor clung to life. Everyone was sure that eventually, something would find him. Be they one of the careers he ditched once he got injured, one of the outer District kids, or some random mutt. The second somebody found him, he was dead. But, nobody did. No one even came near the man for almost two weeks. It almost didn't make any sense. After all he stayed put for the majority of that time, being unable to actually move from the cave he hid in. But by the time the final 2 arrived and his opponent was a scared and injured 12-year-old, it seemed as though the gods had smiled upon him and handed him the "easiest" victory ever.

District 2 was naturally excited to have another Victor, even if it was somewhat undeserved. Still they respected his determination and ability to cling to life despite the odds stacked against him. At least, they used to anyway. Quickly it became apparent that Candor wasn't the same man he was when he volunteered. Gone was the joy filled kid who used to goof off with his friends every day, and in his place was a shell of the person he used to be. A man who bore both the physical and mental scars of his games out in the open for all to see.

Candor was a broken victor, and if there was something District 2 did not tolerate it's a broken victor. To them, a dead career was far better than a Victor who was tramutized by their time in the arena. Doesn't matter if said time was some of the worst torment a person could possibly go through, if you can't keep it together than to District 2 you were less than worthless. You were a stain on their record, somebody who didn't deserve to live.

In the months following his victory Ava pretty much heard everything people were saying about Candor. That he was better off just killing himself so we could be done with him already, that the 12 year old should of won, that the gamemakers rigged it so he could win because he was a victor's son. All of it, of course, said behind closed doors, With Charles also being a victor, and a well respected one at that, people were scared to come out and say those things openly. However people are rarely as sneaky as they believe themselves to be, and one way or another those statements would make their way back to their family.

Eventually, Charles had had enough. Around the time of Candor's victory tour, a few of the reporters decided to interview the family of the victor. Typical stuff, really, however one thing stuck out about the discussion with Charles. He, unlike many other victors in the past, willfully admitted that he was tramutized by the events of his games and while he has recovered for the most part, that trauma has never really left. He also said that due to the climate of District 2 that this was something he had to hide for years, that if he didn't he would be forever shunned by his home, and that this was the same situation every other victor in District 2 had to deal with. Either hide your scars, or face the scorn of your District. But now that his son was facing said scorn, he feels he has no choice but to come forward about his own issues.

Naturally when this came out, District 2 did not take the news kindly. Many called Charles a lier, a Victor who's gone mad, and a shame on both his District and his fellow Victors. Almost overnight, the Sampdoria name had been completely demolished with no possible hope of recovery. However, thankfully for them, the other Victors eventually stepped in.

Almost at once, most of the District 2 Victors finally opened up about their own trauma. From the nightterrors they would frequently have, to their own hangups and issues caused by their games. Some heald back, naturally, however in a move obviously meant to help her Family the majority of them still stepped in to finally shut the District up.

However, even then, she would still hear the whispers. The things said behind closed doors. The things she obviously wasn't meant to hear but naturally would anyway because teenagers are stupid and love to gossip about stupid shit. Sure, the Victors coming together and saying that pretty much all of them were broken in one way or another did help them out and got the District to lay off her brother, but her family name was destroyed and with very little chance of recovery.

Except, maybe one.

In the history of the Hunger Games there had never been a single family that had claimed three victors. Sure, families with two victors like hers weren't common, however they were far from the first to have claimed such a feat, and she knew they wouldn't be the last. But three victors was something no family had ever done before. So maybe, just maybe, if she won that would finally fix her family's legacy.

It wasn't as if she hadn't been considering volunteering before her brother won. Hell ever since she was ten this had been a goal of hers from the start and she doubts she would have been turned away from it like Baron was after Candor's games. But now she had a purpose besides just her own selfish desire for fame. So if she did fall in the games, at least then Candor wouldn't have to blame himself for it. Yeah, she was doing this for her!

At least, that's what she told herself.

After quickly washing all the sweat and grime off of her body, Ava quickly put on the outfit her mother had picked out for her. A wonderful blue dress and simple white dress shoes. It wasn't anything too glamorous, more meant to give off a sign of class while still staying modest and respectful. Despite all popular beliefs, the capitol didn't really like tributes who were overly showy or snobby. Sure, they had their fans, but more often than not those tributes would end up dead while the more typical down to earth tribute would win. Be they a career or a normal tribute, didn't matter. So long as the majority of the capitol was at least happy with the winner it mattered naught to the Gamemakers, and inoffensive winners were often times the best way to go about it. Sure, there were rare exceptions like when Victor's kids get reaped, but they tended to have better long term results for the Gamemakers regardless.

Once she got dressed Ava made her way downstairs where her whole family was situated. Her dad was in the kitchen making lunch. Unlike most of the outer Districts, District 2 didn't have their reapings until 3 in the afternoon, so the family of the chosen careers had some extra time to dilly-dally before they had to head out. Extra time Ava was thankful to have. Sure, she was confident she would be coming back just fine, but just in case she was glad to have this extra time left with them.

Ava quickly took her seat across from Renata, who was currently holding her son in her lap as he ate small oat loops off of the table. Watching tiny little Avery smack his hand against the table, not quite able to grasp the small loops was suprisingly entertaining. In a way that only toddlers can be, of course. Avery had no real concept of what was to transpire today, no idea that two families would be sending one of their loved ones to possibly die. All that mattered to him were those darn loops he couldn't quite grab onto.

The rest of the day went by almost in a flash. Mom and Dad brought in lunch, everyone ate while discussing whatever random topic they could think of, and once they were done they wandered around the house socializing or getting ready. It seemed almost too soon when 2 PM came, and the family had to go. However before the family left, Charles quickly pulled his daughter aside to talk.

"Ava, sweetheart" He said, obviously a little concerned. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Oh god not this again..." Ava couldn't help but to mutter as she let out a sigh.

"I mean it." Charles stated. "You of all people know how deadly the arena is, you've seen me come home year after year victorless."

"But those kids also weren't me" Ava said with confidence. "I get that you're worried, really I do, but it'll be fine. I promise you that."

"Yes but nether was your bother, and well..." Charles trailed off from there before going on. "Just... You don't have to do this for us. Seriously, none of us want to lose you here over this."

"And you won't. I'll be back, don't worry, okay." Ava tried reassuring him.

"And then what? What about after you come back?" Charles questioned, trying to pull her away from the obviously stupid thing she was obviously about to do anyway. "Even if you win, you might not come back the same person you were. Hell what happened in my games still screws with me. Please, just think about what you're about to do Ava! If you come back in Candor's state, you'd would have destroyed yourself for nothing!"

"Dad..." Ava said. "I've had 18 years to think about this, and this is what I want to do. I'm sorry, but I'm volunteering."

Charles could only stand there as he watched his daughter turn and walk away from him. He wanted to grab her, scream in her face that she was being an idiot, threaten her in any way he could to stop her, but he knew it would be pointless. Simply put once they got to the District Square there was nothing he could do to stop her from volunteering. In truth, the power was 100% in his daughter's hands, and he knew she was going to make the wrong choice today.

Soon the family left for the Town Square. The walk to the town center was mostly uneventful. The rest of the District tended to avoid the family, not really wanting to get anywhere near the group. Something that was all too common whenever they would go out together. Thankfully, aside from a glare from Mr. Belmont though for leaving the center early on the last day, that was the worst they had to deal with. 4 years off of the worst event in their family's history people have taken to avoiding the family instead of being directly hostile. Which was an improvement compared to how they were treated when Charles spoke out.

Soon they would arrive at the Town Square, and everyone went to go take their places. Baron, Renata, and Ava's mother went off to the family sections while Candor and Charles took their place on the stage. Ava, meanwhile, quickly met up with Modgey in their section.

"Hey, sorry about leaving early Modg" Ava states her friend waved her over.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Not a big deal." Modgey said as she shrugged it off. "Nobody was really that upset besides Mr. Belmont, but who cares about him am I right?"

Ava couldn't help but to laugh at that statement. Mr. Belmont was like many within the Trainer profession. Somebody who put all his eggs into the career basket, only to get passed up for some kid who'd die in the games anyway. Having dropped out of highschool in the hopes of becoming a Victor, his employment options were pratically non-existant. Thankfully, even though he lacked the skill for combat, he had a strange talent for training potental careers to perfection. Something he absoutly hated doing. But with no other options avaliable to him and not wanting to return to school, he took the only path left open to him. Now a days he's just a sad excuse for a man, who's only kept on because he's one of the better trainers in District 2. He lacked the people's respect, but he was good enough to keep getting paid and in the end that's kind of all that really matters for some people. Either way Ava was done with him, and she couldn't be happier to be rid of his annoying ass.

Soon the reapings would begin. The Escort would get the District pumped and unlike in any other District, 2 managed to actually get hyped for the event about to unfold. For them it wasn't really a punishment. It was simply a chance to prove themselves to all of Panem that they were the strongest District around. Something they were able to do constantly, as their 19 victors showed. In fact if they won this year they would have won a fifth of the games going into the 100th by default, assuming they didn't win more after that either. A feat no other District had any dream of accomplishing. As such there was a very real hope that their tributes would come home alive. Though, if one was to do the math, that still only gives each District 2 tribute a 10% chance of coming home alive. So even then, the odds of survival are still very low for District 2 tributes.

Soon the escort made her way over to the women's reaping bowl. Ava could see both her father and her brother looking over at her, pleading with her not to do it. To be smart here and let somebody else volunteer when the realize she won't. However, as the Escort began reading the name, both of their hopes were dashed as they saw Ava quickly raise her arm and yell out those two famous words.

"I vounteer!"

Suddenly the crowd roared with excitement as they saw the young woman make her way onto the stage. Putting on an air of confidence and pride, Ava took to the stage with a smile plastered on her face. She looked at all of the Victors sitting on the stage, most briming with pride and joy, almost knowing she'll be winning this year. However looking over at both her brother and her father but notice that while they had smiles plastered on their faces, both Candor and Charles were obviously upset by what Ava had just done.

Just as she began to regret her action, the escort quickly pulled her back away from her family when he said. "May I ask for your name Missy."

"Ava Sampdoria!" She said, regaining her compouser.

"Everyone, give it up for Ava" He exclamed as the crowd roared with excitement yet again.

"Now for the gentlement!" He said as he pulled out a name from the male bowl.

"Can I get a Ryan Carver!"

There was a bit of silence at first, everyone waiting on Bastian to volunteer for the poor soul who's ass just got reaped. Suddenly, a 15 year old kid walked out of his area. Obviously not expecting to be called, he began to make his way up to the stage. He was panicking, for obvious reasons. Typically when somebody doesn't volunteer right away that means they're backing out, which puts the person who was reaped right into the line of fire. Doesn't help matters that he doesn't look like he could fight his way out of a paper bag.

 _Oh you idiot Bastian, you'd better not be backing out now_ Ava thought in her head as the poor kid stepped onto the stage, shaking like a leaf and looking like he was about to cry.

"Uh... Are there any volunteers?" The escort said nervously.

"I volunteer!" Bastian roared as he quickly exited his section.

 _Of course_

The kid in front of Ava quickly breathed a sigh of relief as he rushed down the isle back over to his section, thanking Bastian for saving his ass not knowing he was planning on waiting until the escort gave him his que. That was Bastian for you, by the books no matter what.

Soon he found himself at the stage, facing Ava directly. Both knew that the odds of both of them making it out alive were slim. They knew their odds of making it out alive were also slim. However after years of training for this one moment, with the hope of coming home with victory in their hands, they couldn't help but to maybe feel a sense of pride that they had made it here. That in the end, all their hard work had finally paid off.

But little did they know the horrors that were about to come.

 **A/N: HA! YOU ALL THOUGHT THIS WAS DEAD DIDN'T YOU! HAHA, NO, I'M BACK BABY!**

 **Okay, real talk though, I honestly did not expect to drop this story for 2 months after promising to do daily updates. However... Then I randomly fell into a full time job that actually paid decently and really didn't have the time for this. Not to mention there were some uh... Difficulties writing this chapter in general haha. Point blank though, this story had to take a back seat so I could focus on getting my life in check. Thankfully though, now that this chapter is out, I should be able to update way more frequently!**

 **Anyway as far as this chapter goes holy shit, if you ever do solo reaping chapters instead of by District than 100% do NOT have your tributes appear in other tribute's chapters. Putting Ava in Bastian's chapter was honestly one of the WORST moves I could of pulled since that restricted a lot on what I could do. Hell if it wasn't for that this chapter wouldn't be nearly as long as it is, but ya know we're through it and I hope you guys at least enjoyed Ava! A big shoutout to Jolteon2404 for submitting her, and I hope that I was able to make this chapter worth the two month wait.**

 **With that out of the way, I have a few announcments to make. For the rest of the Reaping chapters I will be doing all of them in pairs. For the most part each tribute will be reaped with their District partner, but if they were already reaped than we'll just be pairing them off with somebody else who's partner was reaped. I think at this point that's only two people, but still. I'm mainly doing this because 1.) it'll help me write all of your tributes easier without having to find ways to awkwardly and needlessly fill space and 2.) It'll help me get through the reapings quicker which I think all of us would rather have. Overall I think this is the best move for everyone, and I can at least assure you that your characters will be getting the same amount of characterization that the first 8 characters got so if you haven't seen your tribute yet don't worry they'll still get a lot to them once their chapter comes around.**

 **Second, we're full on Tributes! Yay! I'll admit I kind of sort of made the last two myself, however that's mainly because by the time I got my 22ed tribute pretty much all of my plans were beginning to become set in stone and I did not want to bloodbath the last two submitter's tributes. As such, I decided just to go ahead and fill the last two spots myself. Nether of them are going to win though and I'll confirm to you now they will die horribly bloody and painful deaths so don't worry too much about that.**

 **Finally! Obviously I cannot promise daily updates anymore, and even then I doubt I'll be able to get them out right now with work and school in the way. However at this point I do think I'll have enough time to get out a chapter at least every week and do intend to do so. I don't want to drop this story, I want to take it to completion. So don't think this long break means this story's fate is that of doom. I intend to finish this and give all of you the story I promised you in the first place!**

 **Anyway that's it from me! Take care you guys, and stay tuned for next time when we take a visit down to District 1 and meet the strange duo that awaits us down there. See ya soon!**


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